FALL AT HOME

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Alright, so this isn't even half of the stuff I am dying for this fall!

Basically I am just aching for tons of deep dark neutrals with a hint of witchy sexiness.

Hopefully I can fulfill all my fall shopping needs soon. 

I will be sure to keep you posted on my finds.

xJAY

K I T C H E N U P D A T E

Tulip table(base) I found on the side of the road with matching chairs. Had to screw on a new table top, but man was it easy! Love my new look in my kitchen.

In case you forgot what it looked like before

Nothing is safe in this house, at any moment I could change it all up again!

xJAY

2013

2013

It will be our first full year at the Baldwin House.

We signed the lease about a year ago and moved in this past July.

We have moved around a lot over the past 5-10 years, be it bad roommates, bad locations, bad landlords, or just bad timing.

We spent our time at Madison house (lived there for one year) planning what to do next. We wanted to make the right choice of where to go.

I am so beyond happy to of found where we are living.

It is modestly sized and in a very convenient neighborhood.

We have done a little house keeping around the house, but 2013, will be the year of making it home.

2013 A Baldwin House Year

1.Paint Paint Paint

Fortunately our landlords are letting us repaint anything we wish. When we moved in it was a lovely skin color. We had flesh colored walls, perfect. Just kidding I am overreacting, it was a browny beige and a greeny beige. I prefer an all white background for all of my every changing decor. We have already begun, the bedroom is painted white. I made a bit of a disaster, I had a really hard time moving the 5 gallon tub around and kept getting paint on the floor! So as I move onto the next rooms the boyfriend will have to help me a great deal more.

2.DIY DIY DIY

This one could also be called paint paint paint, I have a lot of misc. furniture that needs to either be put together, reworked, re-stained, repainted, and mostly repainted. We found a "tulip" table and chair on the side of the road. All that need to be repainted, someone painted them brown, freaking sick. The tulip table needs a new table top, we have that now just to decide if to leave is strained wood or painted white. It will be a tough choice, you guys might have to help me decide.

Docksta

3. Plant Plant Plant

I definitely want to start gardening and planting this spring and summer. The yard is totally lacking in all respects of being a nice leisurely place to be!

4.Organize Organize Organize

Everything still really needs to be finned tuned in the house. The kitchen cabinets the bathroom, and most importantly the bloody basement! It is down right terrifying down there. We moved in from a 4 bedroom two story house with ample storage and plenty of closet space, so our current basement is holding everything extra. Extra furniture, boxes and totes and is our laundry room. Some how, everything seems to be spilling out and fallen over. Not sure how this happens. But this will be tackled this year!

5. Decorate Decorate Decorate

I want to start fine tuning all the decorations in the house.

::::Plants

::::Nature

::::Rocks

::::Black and White

::::Good Naturals with pops of bright.

Alright, that is the plan so far. I am sure a tons for shit will come up. Can't wait for a year of blogging and home making!

:::The Baldwin House:::

J. Coffin

A Baldwin Street Christmas

Alright, Christmas time. I have a love/hate relationship with this holiday.

The months prior I am head over heels in love with Christmas time.

Ready, planning.

Then a few days following Thanksgiving I start to get really discouraged. 

The days seem to go faster and faster and here we are half way through the damn month.

BUT!

I have spectacular Christmas decor this year.

We have been living the Baldwin House for 6 months now...

SIX MONTHS!

Holy shit, how the hell did that even happen?

Starting a new job and a new semester has really made the last months go by so fast

& have left me to really put this blog on the back burner.

Any ways, here is my Christmasy house.

For the past few years we had been living in "temporary" homes.

Places where I never invested much time into because I knew we wouldn't be there for very long.

We had been using a lovely 99 cent tree that my mother bought us.

Hey, It really wasn't that bad!

This year we planned on using my grandmothers old 1950's beautiful white christmas tree. 

I went out and bought white lights.

When I went to put it together I realized almost half of the tree was missing, so that didn't really get to work out to well.

As you have seen from previous posts that we have this lovely mid-century fire place.

It used to reside in the kitchen.

I was sitting frustrated on the floor, without a tree.

Then the best idea came to me.

Here is the "fake, fake Christmas tree"

Back story:

The fireplace was found at a garage sale on the outskirts of town.

I saw it from a distance and freaked.

Mostly nervous that I wouldn't be able to afford it, but it was a mere TEN DOLLARS.

I have seemed to of made some sort of deal with the mid-century modern furniture devil.

We couldn't get it home that day so we had to pay and leave it there.

The next three days I worried and panicked that they would realize what they just sold.

But low and behold they didn't screw me over and it was mine.

I noticed the log inside and the old cord, I never thought much about plugging it in because I figured that it would explode my house into bits.

I did plug it in for this photo and it made a beautiful cracking noise, and left it plugged in for a few hours, and we seem to be safe.

:::Merry Christmas:::

J.Coffin

The Baldwin House

Living spaces.

Here is a sneak peak of the living room.

I intend on revamping everything as the days go by!

Jamie

My bff Nicole. Duh.

This is her.

The one and only best friend of me!

Check out her blog. Nicole

She and I both concur that her house is adorable looking in this photo.

I bet you all would like to see more pictures of her jealousy inducing home.

LOVE HER!

Jamie

summer in the city

It is starting to heat up here in the little mitten.

 It's got me wearing my hair up, and sweating my ass off :)
There is not better way to try and chill down than poppin in Santo & Johnny.

Furniture dreamin'

over stock replicas

ikea

There are so many smaller items that I want from ikea, but they aren't available online!

Darnit.

Guess I will just have to make a trip to ikea soon

Jamie

China Moon Brown

I have been feeling bored with my hair, whats new... So I decided to stop by the local "hair" store and picked up some bleach powder and a nice BROWN hair dye.

The lovely color was named China Moon Brown. This is what happened.

I was not sold until I wore it out a bit. I think I like it!

A few months ago our city finally got an antrhopologie!

How freaking exciting.

This store is just so beautiful and inspiring...and pricey(well for me anyways)

There is just always so much to look at; books, perfume, decor, CLOTHES!

These awesome lights:

&&& the sales girl let me take a few shots!

So beautiful.

enjoy

Jamie

Alright, first post! Lets start of with a quick introduction. My name is Jamie. I a 20 something living in a great town called Grand Rapids. I am almost always carrying my camera, and looking for inspiration.

As of late I have had a one track mind.

All I can think about is MOVING.

A little less than a year ago I moved into my current abode. Its a monster of a house, not in my dream neighbor hood. We( my boyfriend Nick and I, you will hear lots about him!) signed the lease of our NEW house back in Feb. We still have about a month and a half to go! It has seemed like a life time. But now we are in the home stretch. I am pretty sure he is sick of hearing my talk about the new house. Now you guys can hear all my ideas and plans!

It is smaller, in a nicer, more convenient neighborhood, and less expensive!!!

This is the living room! I absolutely adore the floors. They have such character.

A dishwasher! I am going to be spoiled!

This bathroom is a little small, but the fixtures and bathtub are all new.

I already have plans for this space!

Next week we have an appointment to view the apartment again. I need to get a closer look at the space. We are down grading in size, but upgrading in...well...everything else!

Jamie