Misc Photos!

Some miscellaneous photos to share!

-annual Christmas photo at church-

-our friend, Beth, was able to come with us on Christmas Eve!-

-Sister with some of the kids in Old Fangak-

-Sister standing next to the generous donation of Samaritan's Purse which will help them to recover from the clinic fire on Christmas Eve. This delivery was a miracle from God!-

-an update to the mantle for the rest of winter: whites, metallics and greens!- 

-the jeweled branches, mercury garland and sweet little bird were all gifts and fit quite perfectly!-

-another cute little birdy!-

 We got a snowstorm in Denver yesterday...all day! It is very, very cold and feels so wintery right now!

CO is the place to be!

The month of December was full of out-of-town visitors!

Just before Christmas, Andy and Janelle came to visit! They spent a couple days up in Estes Park (just in time for a Colorado snowstorm, too!), and then stayed with me for a few days. It was wonderful to catch up on what the next chapter in their lives holds and show them my life in Denver.

-here we are taking a quick tour of the showroom-

-out to a yummy, Thai dinner!-

Just after they left, Maren and Jeremy came for a Colorado Christmas with her family! These two are a constant source of wisdom and now they have a sweet, little boy Josiah!

-those cheeks!-

Such a blessing to see all these dear friends! 

Updated Apartment Christmas Decorations.

Here are a few pictures of some small details that I added to make everything feel complete for Christmas in my apartment. My friend brought over a poinsettia which really finished off the hearth nicely...it needed something in that corner!

I found this glass angel on sale at Pottery Barn and loved the simplicity of it. Many of the Christmas messages I've heard this year have really highlighted the role that angels played in announcing the coming of Christ; what a wonderful reminder!

I decided to go a little more rustic in my bathroom and found this lovely painted wood Christmas plaque in my stash. A quick trip to Michaels to snag the wreath helped it all to come together.

I also stumbled onto this which happened to go perfectly with the black rustic Christmas sign above.

Last, I decided that my Christmas tree needed presents under it...so I wrapped a bunch of empty boxes. :)

I hope everyone is having a very merry Christmas! Next up, New Years!

Christmas Lights!

Not long ago, I met up with some new friends in Denver to enjoy the Trail of Lights at the Chatfield Botanic Gardens. It was absolutely crazy to think about how much work it was to string them all but it made for a very festive stroll in the cold December air. Pictures are a little hard to get but here are a few that came out ok!

loved this tree below!

rustic Christmas charm!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, here it is!! This is my first year to decorate my apartment for Christmas. :) I have been storing up ideas on what to do and I am happy with how it turned out. A few little things to do but it feels very festive in here.

{This was my favorite thing to make: Glitter Reindeer! It was a simple as a canvas, Elmer's glue and glitter (I mixed gold and silver.). }

{I absolutely love this Christmas hymn and when I saw a similar idea in a more rustic application, I decided to put a modern twist on it! Lets just say, painting is not my calling in life but I made it through this with a few deep breaths and a commitment not to fail on the 'main attraction'-ha. Now, lest you be impressed at my skills, I must come clean by saying I printed out the words in different fonts and traced. I could never have done it otherwise...ha!}

 |i love a lot of things about this...the bright red and white palette is clean and bright, the mix of fonts with the fanciest one inscribing the most reverent word, and all the negative white space reminding me to create space in this Advent Season for the Savior.|

{These snow globes took about 3 minutes! Anthropologie sells some like this for a lot more money than these cost me. :) All supplies from Michaels: glass jars, bottlebrush trees, fake snow. Simply tape/hot glue the tree to the inside of the top, put snow in the jar part, screw the top back on (so the tree will be upside down) and flip it over! They are so cute, I want to make a hundred of them but that might ruin the effect...}

{This paper garland is store bought. It was $7 and for the hassel of trying to make it, I just bought it because it was on clearance at West Elm. I love the mix of pink and red. :) You could easily fold paper and sew it yourself though.}

{So here it is! I am still hoping to fill the fireplace with candles and do a little more work on the hearth, but the mantle is done! I love the modern, sparkly, bright, clean feel of it all!}

Next up, the tree! I grew up with real trees my whole life and I am embarrassed to admit that I bought a fake tree-gah! It was cheap and a good size and seemed a little easier for my first time around. Either way, I simply LOVE having a darling little Christmas tree with twinkle lights. :)

{Here are some of my favorite ornaments.}

{The tree! More favorites on the left. I am planning to wrap a bunch of fake boxes to put under just for fun, and I still need a tree topper. :)}

Is your house all decorated? What are some of your favorite decorating items for Christmastime?

the glorification of busy.

I'm sitting in my apartment, with a batch of banana muffins just out of the oven and hot coffee. It snowed a little last night but the sun is shining brightly today, quickly melting away any trace. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't particularly care for winter. It's lovely on Christmas day but other than that I'm not interested-ha. As long as I can remember, its been like this but something is shifting this year. I am actually not so vehemently opposed to the pretty white stuff and as weird as this is to admit, I was a little disappointed it didn't snow the 6 inches that were promised last night!

At church this morning, we studied Ecclesiastes 2:17-26. The author, King Solomon, has been highlighting, over the last chapter and a half, the things in this world that we strive for only to find lack of fulfillment or disappointment. Our culture has pushed forward this idea that money, work and busyness are the mark of success and respect.

How many times have I said "life is so busy right now" or even commented on "how busy work is" as if that should elevate me to some respected status. What we're really trying to communicate is, 'my life is full, therefore I am a productive member of society.' There seems to be correlation between how much we work we do and how busy we are with productivity and accomplishment.

My, how I have fallen prey to this! Just this weekend, I can recount 3 conversations I had revolving around how busy the fall has been with work and how I even have to do some work today (my day off) because "there is so much to do!"

Now I don't want to negate this entire concept. The reality is that life IS busy and work CAN BE really busy...yet we need to stop with the GLORIFICATION of busy. There is something on Pinterest circling around right now that says just that...

We have to work to live. That is the simple reality of it all, but how we approach our work is where we can go drastically wrong. In Genesis 2:15 it says, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." God created man to work. Work is good and a way to live out the responsibility God has graciously entrusted us with, towards the earth and our families. King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?" This attitude of work being a gift from God so we can provide for those we love, should be at the center of what we do. It is to be our vocation, in order to meet needs, not simply a job to elevate our status in the world's eyes. Frederich Beuchner says, "Vocation is where our greatest passion meets the world's greatest need."

When we get caught up in the busyness of work either from a lack of perspective or a lack of prioritization, it becomes toil. It isolates us from people in our lives because we simply don't have time or don't MAKE time for them. "There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. 'For whom as I toiling?' he asked, 'and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?' This too is meaningless-a miserable business!" (Ecc 4:8)

In the Hebrew language, there are far fewer words than we have in our English language. They use the same words for several concepts/meanings. Interestingly enough, the same word is used to convey these three concepts: toil, wealth, sorrow. Pretty telling, huh?! "What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?...even at night his mind does not rest." (Ecc 2:22-23) "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (Ecc 5:10) Toil and wealth can often lead to sorrow if we don't have proper perspective.

How is it that we've gotten so busy that we don't have time for those we love? How is that we've gotten to comfortable in our busyness, to reach out to someone in need or to simply meet a new friend? How is it that our schedules are so full that if something unexpectedly comes up, we can't always make room to be available? It seems as though we are inadvertently edging out the thing we desire the most: friendship, community in Christ and love. These things are only possible if we quit insulating ourselves from the world around us, using our schedules as an excuse.

So on this sunny, snowy Sunday perhaps it's as simple as finding someone to share my muffins with...

Birthday Weekend!

I took a few days off in October for a long, birthday weekend and it was great! I was supposed to be in Seattle helping to open the new Room and Board showroom but they were ahead of schedule...so I got cancelled. I was bummed not to have that great experience and, of course, to not see my friends but it was yet another example of God's sovereign wisdom. 

Not going allowed for so many things to happen that couldn't have:

-I needed the time at work for planning. This is my absolute busiest time and I would not have made my deadline without that time to work.

-I had 2 more weekends with Sister before she left for Africa! That was absolutely invaluable. :)

So I drove down to the Springs on Thursday night, very excited to be home for a few days. On Friday, Mom, Sister and I went thrift shopping and simply enjoyed the day together. The evening was filled with family dinner, a couple rounds of Rummikub, and a movie.

Saturday, Sister and I did some errands for Africa and we all went to the CC hockey game that night! We love hockey! It was great to see at least one game with Sister before she left. Thankfully, hockey has a long season, so we'll have plenty of games to go to after her return at the end of January. I love this photo!

 Sunday, after church, Sister and I tackled the Incline! It had been a while since we've both done it but we made decent time and had absolutely perfect weather. That night for birthday dinner I picked a newer restaurant in town called My Big Fat Greek Restaurant-ha! It was delicious.

Monday was my actual birthday and I was able to see a couple friends throughout the day. It happened to be gorgeous weather so I stole down to The Garden for a few minutes to myself between appts. Look at that view! You can't ask for anything more beautiful in mid/late October. Stunning. I love this park!

 

Sister and I wandered through Manitou that afternoon, stopping for ice cream of course! 

So, so thankful for the long weekend with my family to celebrate! 29 years old...weird but exciting!

Planning and Showroom Pictures!

The last two months of work have been some of the most creative months yet. I kicked off September by traveling to Minneapolis, MN for a week to attend Assortment Meetings. This is a once-a-year gathering of all the Visuals, Merchants and Retail Market Managers. This trio of people are the main decision-makers of the showroom. We work very closely together to analyze business, dream of beautiful rooms and strive to combine the two in a way that grows the business while continually inspiring our customers. There's a lot of push-pull that happens between the three of us and I am so grateful to have really great working relationships with these two coworkers.

The week at Central (headquarters) is such a creative time for us Visuals to work with each other in a way we don't get to the rest of the year. We brainstorm and create new combinations, fresh looks and 'wow rooms'.

This all happens in a place called The Lab. Everything we carry is either in the Lab or on neatly organized shelves just outside. You can grab anything and bring it in, play with it, combine it with other things just to try something new, etc. It's brilliant! Really it's just a giant corner of a warehouse that has wall dividers and a concrete floor BUT that is the beauty of design...it's something you get to create, from the ground up.

This amazing, collaborative week is also very overwhelming! I've been with Room and Board almost a year; while I feel fairly well versed with our current assortment, learning all the 'new' condensed into a few days combined with the fact that I am not quite sure how this planning process works, left me feeling a little overwhelmed at the task ahead of me. 18,000 sq ft of showroom was just sitting there, waiting for me to make it beautiful-YIKES!

So the last two months, I've been locked away in our big conference room creating, wrestling through placements and balancing the aesthetic of our brand with the necessary influence of the numbers. Numbers don't lie but you can't fill a showroom with multiple presentations of the 'bread and butter' collections. It would be incredibly boring and one-toned in style.

My job, as the Visual, is to make our showroom sing. To create a journey for the customer through the spectrum of our aesthetic: classic, mid-century, core, and pure modern. To create an experience that leaves them wondering what's around the corner in the next room, positioning and combining things in a way that is attainable and inspiring.

From day one, my whole management team has said that the Visual's job is the hardest in the showroom. I think I'm starting to understand why. My success is measured by the condition of the showroom at any given time, the success/growth of our business, and the subjective taste of my visual boss and the higher ups. That is the hardest thing...ever. It is impossible to please everyone's aesthetic. Impossible, even within the guidelines they set up for us. My boss has one vision, I have another, our Director of Stores has her own-all of it falls within the given parameters but sometimes none of them are the same. Not to mention the 20 employees who need to stay inspired daily in order to try to sell it to the thousands of customers who walk through the space each week.

Its kind of big when you step back to look at it. I know it's the same for all of us when we look at our jobs this way...the sphere of influence is massive. This has been a good reminder in the midst of planning. A motivation to come out strong and put my best foot forward for my first floorchange! I cannot wait to see how it all turns out and I still have at least a month more of planning to do...hopefully my creative juices don't run out!

Here's a peek at what my planning room has looked like:

i can't even tell you how many erasers and sticky notes i've gone through!

Here's some photos of our showroom right now:

we just brought in these limited edition Roberta Allen prints!

another limited set of Lotta Jansdotter prints...so playful and fun!

 

some John Robshaw prints.

 

this is the very front of the store!

colorful kids dept!

Apartment Update!

Well, it has been embarrassingly long since I've posted anything and I have a lot up my sleeve! This fall has been full of travel for work and personal reasons that took me from Seattle to Minnesota to upstate NY! I have lots of pictures and stories to share. :)

First, I thought I would post a few pictures of my apartment. I haven't really posted any since the "empty" move-in pictures and while I still have a lot to decorate, I thought a few update pictures would be fun!

This is my darling little dining room! I bought my table off Craigslist from a really nice Christian girl and I think it's just the right size for the space.  :) The artwork on the back wall was a purchase from our art collection at Room & Board. It is actually a tool that was used to create prints in the silkscreen printing process. They have taken these, painted them (leaving some negative space) and re-purposed them as art pieces of their own! If you get up close there is a very fine silk screen that is stretched inside that frame. I loved the modern/industrial look of it mixed with the retro diner sign as the subject. :)

This my kitchen. It is just the right size for one person and the prints on the wall are Norman Rockwell. My maternal grandparents were big fans of Rockwell and I've grown up with a fond appreciation of his art. I am pleased to also be hiding a hideous looking breaker box behind the larger print-ha. The first month I was living here, I blew a fuse with my hairdryer and it took me 20 minutes to find that breaker box. I couldn't remember that I had hidden it; I suppose that was the point, huh?!

Here's my living room! I am missing quite a few items (i.e. coffee table, more lighting, several pillows, a chair, etc...) but its getting there. I am planning to paint a few of the frames in the collage, so that it feels a little more eclectic. The artwork is a piece I got at World Market years ago in Seattle. I love how many colors are in it!! The palette is broad enough to accommodate a lot of changes as my taste shifts. :) The drapes were an apartment-warming gift from my sweet sister and I couldn't be more thrilled with the ombre effect on these linen panels. The side table and tv console I picked up at Crate and Barrel's floor sample sale for a steal this summer; I still have some work to do on organizing all the movies on the floor. Perhaps a trip to my former employer, Pottery Barn, for a basket?! Still working on that one...ha. The rug is a Brazilian Brindle. LOVE the coloring!

It always takes time to get everything settled and I'm ok with that. I wasn't at first, but I started taking a money class 6 weeks ago and one of the things that Dave Ramsey says is that when you get out on your own, you immediately try to achieve the standard of living it took your parents 30 years to get to. So true! So I'm learning to be content, save my pennies and wait patiently.

More to come as I add items to my living room and bedroom. :)