2012 in Review

I was nostalgically perusing my posts from 2012 this morning and realized I completely forgot to do a review of 2012! I had a lot of fun with 2011's recap, so even though we're heading forward full steam into 2013, I'm going to take a bloggy moment to look backwards.

~~~~~ Some DIY ~~~~~

Wedding Invitations

This year I seriously upped my number of homemade goodies, a fact that I'm surprised and totally thrilled about. (You can see all of the things I've made here.) My wedding brought with it a lot of crafty goodness, but I'm also generally seeing more opportunities to do things myself everyday. That definitely makes me very happy :)

Felt Coasters

Book Technology Camouflage

Vintage Crate Herb Garden

~~~~~ Fave Finds ~~~~~

Craigslist, you are my spirit animal. Actually no, gross... that would make my spirit animal kind of messy and poorly designed... either way I like it a lot. I sincerely hope finding treasures in thrift stores, yard sales, and on craigslist will never get old.

Wicker Giraffe

Eclectic Bedding

Beautiful FREE Flowers

~~~~~ Helpful Hints ~~~~~

One of the best parts of living a crafty lifestyle is always learning new things. Of course I can never wait to share those knowledge nuggets with you!

Advanced Craigslist Searching

Quick and Easy Reclaimed Wood

How to Cut In

~~~~~ Reveals ~~~~~

A hat tip to the voyeurist in all of us, I love sharing my homestyle progress via reveals. Even the not-totally finished (or not nearly finished) ones :)

Our New Place!

A Living Room Peek

Dining Room

So there you have it, some of my favorite posts of 2012. If you're hungry for more, feel free to peruse my archives or the category links of to the right there in my sidebar. Never want to miss another post ever again? First of all, I love you. Secondly, add insideways to your reader or have each post emailed to you. Easy Peasy.

To all of you who read insideways, thanks for a really incredible year. Seriously. You're the best.

Happy New Year!

One of my absolute favorite things about the New Year is the contagious optimism everyone brings to this fresh start. In a strange way, it makes me feel more warm and fuzzy than Christmas - there's just so much hope and positive energy!

I'm not usually one for resolutions myself. I tend to make gradual life-style changes or set shorter term goals (does anyone else feel like a year is way too daunting??), but this year I'm taking the resolution plunge; I'm going to spend 2013 learning to have a smaller impact on the environment. Before you write me off as totally obnoxious, let me clarify... what I don't want is to become obsessive, self-righteous, or completely removed from the world around me. I'm aiming more for awareness, personal changes, and practical solutions.

I'm pretty sure my first step will be to buy a worm farm.

ANYWHO, Happy New Year to all of you great people!! I'd loooove to hear about your resolutions in the comments!

Photo Friday + Freebie

Tim and I are lake-side in Massachusetts visiting family and the water was just begging to be a subject of Photo Friday. Once I had the photo on my computer screen I thought it looked a lot like the glitter and shine I associate with January and the New Year. So... I made a little calendar out of it.

Not too shabby for my first desktop calendar and you can have one too! Download your own via flickr here.

Happy New Year!

I Have Bedroom Eyes

Dear Mr. Sandman, I'm pretty sure you were involved in the making of this amazingly comfortable new bed Tim and I got each other for Christmas. Thank you for all of your hard work. xox Jen

Tim and I have been itching for a new bed for a looong time now. As you can see, we decided to pull the trigger. All it took was a serious decorating itch that started when I bought this great vintage wool blanket and parking in front of a Sleep Train when the lot near the Jamba Juice was full. Go figure.

Aww yeah. Combined with our curb-find dresser and deer art, I feel like the room is starting to get a "look" and I like it very much.

Anyway back to the bed.

A mix of southwest, vintage floral, and brass, we're right on track with the inspiration post I shared a few weeks ago.

So here's a breakdown of the current setup:
CA King Brass Bed - craigslist for $125 (she's from the 70's and shows her age beautifully)
Floral Sheets - Anna's Linens for $30
Wool Blanket - Thrifting in Montana for $25

We're still looking for the perfect duvet cover, but motivation is high and post-Christmas sales are a-coming (right?). So, whatchu think? Anyone down for a sleepover?

Photo Friday

Yesterday Tim and I headed off to Florida to visit family for the holidays. First day here... it was craft time!! We have a tradition (two years makes a tradition right?) of making our own Christmas ornaments. We're up to four, so I'm sure we'll be able to fill a tree eventually ;)

Here are last year's ornaments >> riiiight here

Enjoy your holiday!!