featured – emerald city diaries

friday i’m in love.

Welcome back Friday!

{one} Valentine’s Day feature!

Remember two years ago when we made this Valentine’s Day announcement?! Crazy how much has happened since then! If you missed it on Instagram, this announcement is being featured over on Parents.com as part of a Valentine’s Day pregnancy announcement round-up (who knew there were such a thing?), so go check it out here!

{two} The Newsroom.

{via HBO}

Per usual, we are late to the game on a TV show… not because of Aaron, but because I protest watching too many shows all at once (any one else?). But with most of our regularly scheduled shows on winter hiatus (& football finally winding down), we started watching The Newsroom & are totally hooked! We flew thru the first season & just started the second. It is a little crazy to see the news headlines from 2011 & 2012 (since the show features real news stories) but it is strangely similar as the show is featuring Presidential campaigns just as we are gearing up for “Who’s Going to Win 2016” in our own lives. If you need a good show to watch (or binge on) I highly, highly recommend this one!

{three} Swankaroo mini backpacks.

{via Swankaroo}

I think I mentioned in her last monthly post, Eloise LOVES bags. And she doesn’t discriminate; plastic bags, laundry baskets, my handbag, our reusable store bags, as long as it has a handle (preferably) & it can hold something inside, she is into it! So, of course, I have been eyeing Eloise-sized bags & am loving these mini backpacks from Swankaroo! I am planning on getting her some type of backpack before our next family trip, but think it would be useful to have one for every day, like returning library books or carrying her own snacks, etc. Any backpacks you Mamas really like for your kiddos?

{I would get a bag for Eloise for Valentine’s Day, but I picked up this adorable wooden camera that was on Brickyard Buffalo last week for a steal! But don’t tell Eloise!}

what are you loving this week?

Remember the Friday Linky Party is up all month, so be sure to add your own Friday favorites this week & next!

Here are the instructions if you are a new to linky-party:
•click on the blue button at the bottom of this post – the one with the frog
•add a link to your Friday I’m in Love blog post in the URL field (please do not link to your home page but the specific post page)
•for “name” write a short descriptive name for your post
•if you would like to put the Friday I’m in Love button on the bottom of your post, we would love to see it there!

FridayImInLove_Graphic

apartment therapy feature {upholstered wingback chair}

{via Apartment Therapy}

I have been so flattered by everyone’s sweet comments about my upholstered chair project! it was such a long-spanning project & I was thrilled to be able to finally share it with you (especially to those of you who had seen it before or in progress).

I am also really excited to share that Apartment Therapy picked up the project for its Before & After series. if you haven’t been reading Apartment Therapy before, you should head over there & take a look! it is an amazing collection of house tours, projects, & beautiful things. it is a huge honor to have the project shared in that space. go check out the chair if you haven’t already!

thanks Apartment Therapy!

catalog feature {west elm}.

as some of you know {from our christmas letter or instagram & twitter} our living room had a small feature in the january west elm catalog. to say I am ecstatic is an understatement! thank you also to all of you who have shown your support – we feel very loved!

{if you are interested, here is the living room post featuring our west elm curtains & the dining room update featuring our chandelier.}

thanks west elm!

do you ever give a shout-out to companies you love? have you ever felt the love in return?

highlights of 2013.

{via}

happy 2014!

i’ve said it before, & i’ll say it again!, yearly recaps are always my favorite kinds of blog posts. its a small way to sum up your year & to see how much the last 365 days have brought. as i look forward to the New Year, i am humbled & grateful by all of the wondrous events of 2013. here’s the rundown of ours:

january: I started out the new year with a bout of the flu. we hosted our first blog giveaway! we installed the west elm hanging capiz chandelier over our dining room table. I framed my diy polaroids for our bedroom walls. amanda & I met john & sherry from young house love during their book signing tour! I diy-ed campaign dressers for our bedroom.

february: I did lots of diy-ing for valentine’s day {here, here, & here} I celebrated my birthday! we bought a kitchen island. I tried to be better about getting in front of the camera!

march: I tried my hand at painting an antler {& was so impressed with the results!}. we took my 91-year-old grandmother to target for the first time! amanda & I diy-ed framed house keys on maps. we sold jez the jetta & bought a new car.

april: we updated our bathroom vanity with a converted antique sideboard. we updated the closet doors by stripping off the old paint in a crock pot. we celebrated our one year anniversary in our house & I reviewed all of the house diys!

may: we finally got some good weather in seattle! I painted the ceiling & hallway walls. we celebrated aaron’s thirtieth birthday with a beer tasting party! we had a fun-filled memorial day weekend. we were featured in west elm’s blog front & main.

june: aaron replaced our toilet. sadie was featured in the seattle dog spot blog. my parents visited for a long weekend en route to the olympic peninsula. my diy his & hers maps were featured. we finally got some summer weather!

july: we celebrated the long Fourth of July weekend with a holiday parade, fireworks, & time with friends. I made a nine layer ombre cake! we replaced our kitchen track lights with globe pendants from west elm. we road-tripped to idaho for my ten-year high school reunion. we started growing our first eggplant.

august: we celebrated our three year wedding anniversary. the blog got a Liebster Award Nomination. I diy-ed the tiniest baby hats for our friends’ new baby. we road-tripped to hood river, oregon to celebrate my cousin’s wedding.

september: we went to the husky vs. bronco game to kick-off labor day weekend complete with husky-style tailgating {via boat}. we took advantage of the warm weather & cleaned up the front yard with a fun game called love it or lose it. we celebrated sadie’s ninth birthday! I attended the Alt Summit for Everyone blog conference.

october: I attempted to start doing fashion posts again. we celebrated our two year blog anniversary at emerald city diaries! I finished up with the #embracethecamera challenge. we went to the pumpkin patch & carved pumpkins with friends.

november: aaron joined a team for movember 2013. we snuck off to hawaii for thanksgiving.

december: I reviewed some of my favorite weekend in pictures pics. I participated in A Pinterest Christmas for the third year {see this year’s projects here, here, here, here, & here}! we celebrated Christmas in indiana with aaron’s family.

reflecting back on this year, i am reminded how blessed we are & also how different this year has been than the year previous. it has been such a wonderful year & ringing in a new one is a bit bittersweet.

how was your 2013 – was it a year to remember, or are you itching to start 2014 already?

see past yearly highlights for 2011 & 2012.

diy his & her maps feature

be sure to check out a round-up of map DIYs over on the Catching Fireflies blog including my DIY his & hers maps!

seattle dogs & their people {seattle dog spot feature}

the weekend before last we took a family trip to the nearby cowen park en route to pick up dinner. this is one of ravenna’s best parks as there is so much grass & space for sadie to run around & chase squirrels. {it also has an amazing playground which isn’t much use to us now but will be some day.}

during our stroll, a guy approached us & asked if he could take our picture {aaron, sadie, & me}. it turns out he was a photographer for a local blog, seattle dog spot, & was working on a new feature: seattle dogs & their people. we were happy to oblige & were featured last week!

{seattle dogs & their people post}

two pieces of trivia for you: brittanys are no longer known as brittany spaniels; and brittanys as a breed are losing popularity {perhaps because the brittany in the stock picture is not as pretty as sadie), which is ironic as sadie is a brittany & the first seattle dog featured.

update: sadie came from my parents, not aaron’s!

do you see brittanys around where you live?

my weekend in pictures.

{feeling some love on friday from a west elm instagram shout-out.}

{we had a donut date at top pot on national donut day. did you partake?}

{we walked by cowen park on our way home from the u-district farmer’s market & sadie really wanted to see what was going on.}

{another round of peonies from a local garden – i just can’t get enough.}

{we also splurged on some local strawberries – so delish!}

{sadie waiting patiently for aaron to tell her she can get her treats.}

{we had dinner on saturday at urbane in downtown with a good friend.}

{the new star trek, but not in 3D. i liked it.}

{on sunday i introduced amanda to potbelly sandwich shop in bellevue. then we went antiquing. thanks for a fun afternoon amanda!}

{i finally got out the iron. i have decided i need to iron about twice a year, unless i really need something specific. any tips on how to get ironing done more frequently?}

{late sunday run to target – always a good time!}

we had a nice sunny weekend but i can’t believe it is already over! does time seem to be flying to anyone else? i just can’t keep up. we have been enjoying the summer-ish weather in seattle as well as the local, summer produce that is finally springing up in the local markets. we decided to buy into a CSA this summer {community supported agriculture} which means every week we get a bag full of fresh, local, organic produce for a mere $15 a week! we are excited to be supporting local farmers, eating seasonally, & pushing ourselves to cook & eat different veggies we may not normally pick. wish us luck! how was your weekend?

before & after feature {west elm blog}

as many of you know from our choice of house decor, west elm is my go-to place for anything we need around the house.

we are very honored & thrilled to be featured today on west elm’s home blog today, front & main! be sure to check it out here!

thanks west elm!
M