differences.

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Sorry I have been so missing in action lately.  I feel like my last post was all about being grown up and in the past few weeks I've been having to make some very grown up decisions.  Its amazing how one day can make such a huge difference in your life and change everything.  I'm signing off for with this quote in my mind.

xo

twenty-five.

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 Today is my birthday.  Twenty-five seems like such a big age, maybe it’s that age when you feel like you’re supposed to be a true “adult”.  In romantic comedies I always picture the main characters to be 25 and they always seem to have it so together.  If only real life were that easy. 

In no way am I where I thought I would be at this age.  I remember thinking in college I would be in a large city, think New York, Chicago, Los Angeles with a very corporate job (business suit required).  I would also be married, living in a house I owned and have a pet, potentially children on the way.  I would hate that life.  Sometimes the things we imagine for ourselves aren’t what we end up really wanting therefore when we never meet those goals it’s okay. 

I’ve been conflicted in my professional life for quite some time and can’t figure out exactly what it is that I’m supposed to do.  I know what I like and what I dislike its finding a path to take that has been difficult.  At this age I feel like I should know by now.  But I don’t.  And that’s okay too.  So I’m going to continue on this journey, one year older now, continue reaching for my goals, and count my blessings.  It’s the journey, not the destination that counts, right? 

xo  

black & white.

 

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I am seriously in love Irene Langlois's home.  If you follow the link you can find more images of the entire house.  Her living however has my heart.  I've always been one to love color but in home design I always veer more towards neutrals.  This is a great example of the inspiration I've been going for in my own home during the design process but feel I haven't really gotten to where I want to be quite yet.  Progress I suppose is better than nothing.

That being said, it's Friday!  What are you plans for the weekend?  I am heading to the Asheville to explore the Biltmore Estate and celebrate my birthday with some friends.  The plans include eating at a lot of great restaurants which I'm told are in abundance, relax, and try some of the bars in the area.  I am thoroughly excited.  It's been years since I've been to the area and I've only heard great things.

Have a fabulous weekend!

xo 

1st birthday.

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This week marks the 1st birthday for All Things Jolie.  I had a lot of goals planned for this blog during the first year and I didn't reach a single one of them.  That's okay though.  What I learned from this blog is that I simply enjoy writing and sharing with all of you.  It's okay that I didn't reach 100 followers or have a certain amount of page views each day.  I think the simplicity with which I write and post make it something that I enjoy doing rather than a task I have to complete each day.

With that said I want to say thank you to all of you that stop by everyday.  Your my faithful online friends that I love sharing with all of you.  So keep on coming back, this year is going to be a great one!

xo

kitchen reno.

I last posted about my parents kitchen here and snapped a few shots of the newly improved space while I was home over the holidays.  Here is the before...

And the after...

Sorry for the random things on the counter, I was in a hurry and just needed to get the photos but I love how everything turned out.  For the amount of money they spent I think they really made a huge difference.  They painted the cabinets white, put down Pergo flooring, changed out the hardware, took down the wallpaper and painted the walls gray.

If anyone is currently debating about putting down a material like Pergo in a kitchen, both my parents have really loved it and no mishaps so far (knock on wood)!

Here is a side by side before and after.

For a very low budget I think the changes look great.  Once we do some styling for the top of the cabinets and maybe one day change out the counter tops and put in a back splash it will look even better.

What do you think?

xo   

galleries.

We finally got our gallery wall completely finished.  After living with empty frames for about a year each one now has a picture!  I actually liked some of them being empty, but the general consensus was that it looked better with framed photos and prints.  A lot of our frames are really big as the gallery covers an entire wall so ordering upwards of 20 prints was not in the cards right away.  We used this method to print most of the prints and will be switching them out soon enough with the real deal. 

If your looking for ways to fill up a gallery wall, Pinterest is your best bet with all the free printables they have floating around.  I also love this new collection, I am dying to add some of the pale pink prints to the wall. 

As it is everything is currently black and white and I would love to mix it up a little bit with splashes of color here and there.  My boyfriends parents bought me this lovely print which will replace Audrey Hepburn (sorry Audrey) in the next few days.  Not really helping on the color front but I have been lusting after that print for a long time, so I'm excited to finally be able to hang it on the wall.

Anyone else have a favorite place to purchase prints?  I have been scouring Etsy but there are so many sellers it can take awhile.

xo

a little vanity.

I finally took some pictures last night of my new vanity (beware these were taken with my phone).  Look at this beauty!  I found her on the side of the street in my parents neighborhood (free!) about two years ago.  Last summer my mom painstakingly refinished her and two and a half years later she finally has arrived at my apartment! Eeee!

Basically, she was extremely beat up with a horrible finish.  There was a little piece of molding in the middle that my Dad removed and I changed out the knobs for a cleaner look.  Loads of sanding and painting later you have crisp and white.  I was obsessed with these but $48 was maybe a little much to add on to something that was free.  I ended up going with something a little different, similar to these.  All in all I love how it turned out.  I have been searching everywhere for a stool so that I can actually use it!  

As for the setup, I originally planned for it to go against a wall in my bedroom but after getting the piece moved in, it didn't work well.  It now rests on the other side of the room in front of the window.  It worked out really well though.  I leaned my favorite mirror from Ikea against the middle pane and my curtains billow around the sides for a feminine yet sophisticated look.

What do you think?  I'm still loving those other knobs, I might have to do a little change out!

xo

fiddle dee dee.

Jonathan Adler via Elle Decoration France

I know I'm a little late extremely late to jump on this bandwagon but there are some things in life I'm just not very good at, cooking be one and keeping plants alive being another.  That being said I'm seriously falling in love with the Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree.  I mean they are adorable when they are young then they grow up and become these beautiful trees that are so aesthetically pleasing its insane.  I want one right meow.  My birthday is in a few weeks fair maidens!  

Another reason I'm really loving these at the moment, you can get them at Home Depot for $16.98.  When they first came out I couldn't find one for less than $50-80 but $17 that's something I can deal with.  I just hope I can keep the little guy alive for more than a few days.  Fingers crossed. 

 

Marion House Book

  

 

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xo

resolutions.

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I seriously cannot believe it is already 2013.  When a New Year rolls around I really like to take stock of what I’m doing and see if there are changes I can make to better my quality of life as well as reach some goals I’ve been aspiring to.  I don’t believe it’s the time to make hundreds of goals you know you will never reach.  Rather a few specific things that will take some change to make happen but in the end are doable.

 

I was complaining to my boyfriend the other day that I felt stuck and instead of moving forward just sort of walking aimlessly around my life not doing what I always intended.  What it boils down to is I’m comfortable.  My boyfriend’s response to my complaints was, “I don’t want you to wake up at 35 and still be saying the same thing.” 

I think this quote by John Maxwell sums up a lot of how I’m feeling. 

“Human nature tempts us to stay where we’re comfortable. We try to find a plateau, a resting place, where we have comfortable stress and adequate finances. Where we have comfortable associations with people, without intimidation of meeting new people and entering strange situations. Of course, all of us need to plateau for a time. We climb, and then we plateau for assimilation. But once we’ve assimilated what we’ve learned, we climb again…Many times, our challenges in life are not in understanding; they are in doing.”  

That all being said I’m making some changes or as many call them New Year’s Resolutions.

...Take the GRE
...Decide if Grad School is the right option for me once and for all (This is something I go back and forth on constantly.)
...Continue to work out 4-5 times a week.
...Post on the blog 3-5 times a week.
...Create a business plan.
...Cook more meals at home for myself.
...Travel more and visit new places.
...Only eat out twice a week.
...Get a cat.
...Put more money into savings

My list revolves around both personal and professional.  I always am trying to better my life in both aspects as I feel that is the only way to keep your sanity.  What are your New Year’s resolutions?  Anyone trying to make huge changes this year?  My favorite number is 13 so I am hoping this year is one of the best yet!  (No I did not copy Taylor Swift it was my favorite number first, I’m older.) 

xo