STREET STYLE

Outfit details:

Tess is wearing: Top A & E, Shorts Forever 21, Shoes H & M Rings Top Shop

Jamie is wearing: Dress H & M, Vest Blue, Hat Forever 21, Boots Marshalls, and Vintage Jewelry.

Tess and I went on a little photo adventure just a few streets over from my house. We thought we would put our photo chops to good use and do a mini photo shoot with each other. It was a blast. This little gas station on Wealthy Street in Grand Rapids is perfection. Keep an eye out for more STREET STYLE posts!

xJAY

WORST BLOGGER

Alright all, You know how the story goes!
School and work had been building up and I straight up ignored this baby blog!
Time to start at it again! I am looking forward to spending time on the blog and around the house this summer. Here is just a bit of my instagram feed as of lately!

xJAY

ARCH.

Photography is my jam. Here are just a few shots of mine from the GRAM.  I have been really inspired by the architectural photography of Julius Shulman. Watch the film if you get a chance he is such an interesting fellow and the views he has of all the great mid century modern marvels is really a unique one.

xJAY

S T O R E

Started spending some time at hunt & gather, helpin um' out.

It is a super cute vintage/new home decor store in the easthills neighbor hood.

It is such the perfect place for me to work, my boss's style is perfect!

xJAY

A U T U M N

1//2//3//4//5//6//7//8

Fall is already on its way I'm back at school and working at a new store!

I have been working for a boutique down town Grand Rapids for about a year now and still working there too! 

Art Prize starts this week and it will be a riot.

If you live in the area be sure to come check out all of the excitment!

Next we ill see an Autumn home wish list!

xJAY

Beach Time

 

We made it back into town just in time to enjoy the beer garden at State street.

First trip to the big lake of the season, and believe it or not I didn't make it there at all last year!

Lake Michigan is one of the best things about living in this state. 

So I convinced the bestie to drive out west to go enjoy some sun.

Overall wonderful time, and I swear Nicole was having a good time too.

X Jay Coffin (TheBaldwinHouse)

My Wanderin' Days

I have been MIA from the blogosphere lately, well I have been here, just a silent observer. I have in that time have developed a new addiction; Instagram. I walk most days to work, about two miles. I usually have my iPod touch handy and ready to take a snap of all the great sites in Grand Rapids. So here is an update of some of the shit I see on my lovely morning walks.

 

x Jamie (theBaldwinHouse)

Let's do this

Alright, so after spending the last three hours looking at the awesome blog Radical Possibility I have been inspired to keep going with my blog. I found out earlier this week that my hours at work will be permanently cut with no likely chance of them increasing again. I took this at first as a major blow. In reality the difference is about a shift a week. Which will make a huge difference in my spending habits, and my budgeting will have to all be rethought. I really love my job ( I work for a kick ass Boutique) they really work with my school schedule and even offer me tuition reimbursement! I think it will really be tough to find a second job, when really all I would need is a few extra hours. SO, I am taking the lemons and making some awesome lemonade. I am going to take my free time to really work on this here blog, and selling on my etsy. I have really dropped the ball with my etsy, Cuckoo Birds. New items posted yesterday and tons more in storage just waiting to hit the virtual shelves! I am really looking forward to some new business ideas and all the little (and big) projects around the house.
Hopefully you all stick around to find out what is in store!


Here is a little peek at what has been going around the house lately:

Tulip Chair Before-

Tulip chair & table after:

 I found the chairs and table on the side of the road just a few blocks up! I have no idea why anyone would have painted them that sick brown?! I still have one more chair to add to this little set up and I think it will look perfect.

x Jamie (theBaldwinHouse)

My Bedroom Retreat

I entered Apartment Therapy's My bedroom retreat contest, and my entry was accepted.
For the past few weeks people have been able to vote on who would win.
I was just excited to be in the running!
They have picked their finalists, and they are really wonderful rooms! So inspiring.
I can't wait to be involved in more contests with my interiors.

The contest has really made me work on my room. I had been hesitant to begin perfecting it since we moved in. But now I really love it, and think it is the better of the rooms in all of the house.

xJamie

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

South through Ohio, Down to West Virginia.

Nicholas and I rarely do much, let alone go on trips. 

It almost seemed like something completely impossible to us.

We have a rickety car, and barely have gas to make it around Grand Rapids.

BUT

We decided we had to do it.

We have to do something!

Nick has some friends (whom he never met) living in Toledo. 

We met up with them and they took us to Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

Ya know that movie with Richard Gere and the Mothman ( it totally scared me)...

we went there.

& that was the mothman festival

Jamie