Dustbowl Arts Market

This is tomorrow!!!

Kitchen Remodel

It's been finished for about a month and we couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.

The before kitchen served us well for the first 3 years. We were grateful we didn't have to buy any appliances when we moved in. However, I didn't mind saying farewell to the world's smallest full size, white fridge, a black dishwasher that didn't work so great and a stainless, gas range/oven that was a huge pain to clean.

Did I mention the random blue square and Mexican tile on the counter tops.
They were poorly installed and did absolutely nothing for me...
The faucet also had a tendency to detach from the plumbing and spray all over the place.
Bye bye faucet!

Before:

Demolition of the world's most blah and boring floor tile.
(It was also pretty hard to keep clean.)

AFTER:

Deep plum on the walls, custom island, fresh coat of white on the cabinets, a cute Waverly print for the windows...

We gave this corner cabinet from my parents house a fresh coat of paint.
It's a perfect place for fruit and veggie storage and allows us to keep the counter tops clear.

Our accordion light fixture might be my favorite item in the kitchen.
The stove is electric. Gasp! Tyler and I are decent cooks, but with two cats and a baby on the way, the convenience of wiping this down at the end of the night beats the "cooking with gas is just better" argument. The range is great and the "double" oven is awesome.
The top oven is perfect for pizzas, lasagna, brownies, etc. It even has a "toast" option. I think we've used the "big" oven once. The little guy is great and doesn't heat up the whole kitchen.

We also had two cabinets and shelves built in to the area between the pantry and laundry room door. It originally housed an ironing board back in the day, but was long gone when we moved in. It is the perfect depth and height for bottles, snacks and sippy cups storage.

The fridge is so great. I can actually go to the store and buy groceries for the whole week. It's so nice to have options. Tyler's Wu-Tang magnet made it through the remodel.

We found a charcoal grey rectangle tile for the floor, mini white subway tile for the back splash and did a granite (looks way more marbled than speckled) with flecks of dark grey, white, pink and purple on the counter tops.

The sink is one big open basin.
Perfect for washing babies!

It's been fun working on our little nest.
Now I'm ready to settle in and just enjoy the next few weeks and continue to prepare to welcome our sweet baby girl.

Nursery

Her sweet little room is coming along!

I wanted the room to be pretty and whimsical.
A magical space perfect for a woodland nymph.

We painted the walls
Martha Stewart's Nasturtium.

The crib is a Jenny Lind from the 80's that I slept in. It just needed a new paint job.

My mom fashioned the bumper out of a charcoal grey queen size sheet from Ikea and added white cotton lace at the top.

I used manzanita branches and 4 colors of silk ribbon from May Arts to craft her mobile. When the ceiling fan is going, it has such nice movement. I think she will really enjoy her little crib.


Mom made this beautiful peach and pink patchwork quilt out of darling vintage reproduction fabric. The reverse side has her monogram embroidered. The rose hook is an Italian metal piece that I picked up at an estate sale 5 years ago.

The dressing table was a dark oak piece of my grandmothers. It got painted with the same high gloss white. I love the way the mirror looks.

The bunny print and the deer print on the right bottom corner are Etsy finds from Vermont based artist, Amber Alexander.

The plates are a collection of my grandmothers china with flowers, 2 Limoges plates with butterflies, a bird plate from Anthropolgie and an gargage sale find.

There are two more from artist, Katie Vernon from Bloomington, Indiana. Check out her Etsy store, Chipmunk Cheeks. Her prints are ADORABLE. We went for the hedgehog and the squirrel.

Just need to purchase her changing pad. The drawers are perfect storage for all her tiny little cloth diapers and covers.

The dresser matches the dressing table, so again, more white paint. The lamps are from Target and my grandmother painted the flower and bee scene.

We raised the curtain rods and used the white canvas curtains we originally had in this room when it was the guest bedroom. Mom and I sewed the extra sheeting from the bumper on the bottom of the curtain for extra length and to hide dirt.

Look at the tiny little onesies!
Lindsay Zodrow from Collected Thread made and gifted us the Okie and my friend Erica gave us the "I dance for cupcakes".

Since I took this photo, the butterfly rock, photo of T and me, and the deer statue have moved to the next vignette and her record player now sits atop the dresser.

The Bentwood rocker was my moms and is pretty comfy. I just need to find the right fabric to make a cushion and a little olive oil to make a few squeaky spots hush.

We found the little side table at The Rink. It's the perfect size to house records and books. The grey felt storage bins (pretty much not visible in this photo) were budget friendly finds from T.J. Maxx. The orb lamp is from Ikea and gives off the softest glow.


With the exception of the lamps, few storage bins, fabric and a foot rest, we were able to re-purpose items we already had and didn't have to buy a bit of furniture!

It's all ready for you sister!
We'll see you so soon!

Huskerson Summer Update!

We've had such a wonderful, busy and full summer I figured I should write some of it out before my pregnant brain forgets.

After a crazy, busy wedding season, things are finally slowing down. (I think Birdie's wedding count is something around 28 so far this year. We only have 2 more to go before I'm off for maternity leave!)

It's been the summer of HOT. It's the only thing us Okies can talk about, but, fingers crossed,
we are beginning to get a little relief. The record breaking heat has definitely been documented in the journal we are keeping for our daughter. Much to Tyler's delight, we've been keeping all of our drapes and blinds closed most days. It feels like a cave and I'm getting a little claustrophobic. I'm looking forward to cooler days, open windows and the arrival of our sweet little bundle.

We had an awesome 4th of July at my families cabin in McAlester. Delicious food, intense card games, a fun dip in the lake, finding out what happens when a non-swim diaper goes swimming, and wonderful memories made with good friends and family.

T and I stole away to Chicagoland for a long weekend to visit friends and eat some food. We stayed with Wes and Anna and threw down at Nightwood on the Southside and ate some legit Italian at Riccardo Trattoria. Wes also made some super tight scones and Anna successfully got T and I hooked on House Hunters International. We headed out to the suburbs to stay with the other Wes and Alexandra at the end of the trip. Loved seeing their little newlywed love nest, had a wonderful cook out with them and the Grissoms and poked around Salvage One and Architectural Artifacts. Such a nice get away!

Later in July, my sweet and wonderful friends hosted such a wonderful baby shower for us. Lots of tiny, precious and adorable goodies are patiently waiting in our baby girls nursery. My friend Michelle was kind enough to demonstrate for everyone how to cloth diaper a teddy bear. :)

Aren't they all so beautiful?
I'm so fortunate to have such wonderful women as friends.


One of my favorite parts of being pregnant is that I get to experience it with two of my dearest friends. Courtney is due at the end of August with her second baby girl and Mary Ann is expecting at the end of January! I am so excited to raise our children together!


Throughout the summer, Tyler has continued to be his caring, sweet and kind self.
He's been "honey do listed" like crazy, super helpful with the delivery of all of our weddings, a constant voice of reassurance and so loving. He even took me to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt 2 for my birthday. I'm so glad he picked me.

As we continue to prepare for our babies birth, we have surprisingly enjoyed going to our birth classes. (Birth Matters in OKC is AWESOME!!!) I say surprisingly because I have had a lot of anxiety about our babies delivery and Tyler doesn't fair too well when it comes to hospitals and staying conscious. After each class, we feel more prepared, empowered and EXCITED!!!! We are in our 32nd week. Around 8 more to go and then we meet our sweet baby girl!!!!

Congrats Jonathan and Kristen!

What a delicious treat it was to work with a couple that was interested in sourcing only local and sustainably grown flowers!

We used some super pretty wild flowers, US grown peonies, fresh herbs and lots of fun, vintage vases provided by the bride.

Miss Katie Kerr over at Stella Shot Me

just posted some wonderful pictures

from Jonathan and Kristen's wedding.

Check them out!

Also, go check out Jonathan's restaurant, Ludivine.

It's amazing!!!!