Two corners

I haven't been keeping up with any Anthro or clothing blogs lately.  Since I took my new job and my shopping budget all but vanished, I've sort of steered clear of most of the blogs I used to love simply to avoid the temptation of seeing my stylish e-friends wear beautiful new clothes that I could not afford.  If I don't look, I don't crave!  (But I miss you, fellow blogger friends!)

Lately, the money I do have left in my shopping budget has been going towards items for my home.  I made two relatively big improvements to the house (replaced a roof, walled in the master bedroom), but the rest of my budget has been going towards small changes to make the house feel more like home.

Here are two corners of the house I particularly like!


1.  In the family/TV room:

99% of the time that I use my laptop, I use it downstairs on my comfy sofa in front of the TV.  I'd been leaving the laptop on the sofa, plugged into the outlet near the sofa, and it was ugly.

I found this ^ cute firewood/magazine holder at a vintage shop near DC called Peg Leg Vintage (a little overpriced, but TONS of cute stuff), and it works perfectly for my laptop!

I ran the cord behind my TV stand (which is to the left of this photo), so the piece doubles as a laptop charger!


2.  Dining Room Booze Area

All I wanted was just to store my wine glasses somewhere.  Is that too much to ask?  I wouldn't think so.  But I didn't have enough cabinet space to store my wine glasses, and there wasn't a convenient spot anywhere for a wall-mounted or under-cabinet mounted rack.  WHAT WAS I TO DO??

BAM!

It's a LAMP, but the lampshade is made up of wineglasses!!!

How cool is that??  I found it on Amazon.  (Affiliate link.)  Plus, it comes with a cool vintage bulb that looks really beautiful when lit.  Here's a bad photo of the lamp on:

Pretty, right?  The only problem is that if you have dirty glasses, you will DEFINITELY notice once the light is on.

Question:  Do you guys think I should get rid of the lampshades on the dry bar next to the wine glass lamp?  Now that I'm looking at the photo, those hanging lights seem like maybe too much light in one corner?  (Note that the hanging lights on the bar don't work.  Also one is missing; I need to reattach it.)

Happy Sunday!  I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Two Irresistable Things

1.  Enormous glasses.  Gigantic, Carl-from-Pixar's-"Up" spectacles.  I lose all self control.
  That's why I love those Asian glasses websites, which allow me to buy 5+ pairs a year for less than $100.  The glasses below are from Warby Parker, though, and boy how I love them, too:

 

I'm wearing these, purchased almost a year ago.  They are extremely well-made!

My inspiration, of course:

2.  Jumpsuits.  Creators/Highlighters of the FUPA.  Why do I love thee so, when you are arguably one of the worst inventions in clothing history?  Perhaps it's because you allow me to get away with putting on only one piece of clothing in the winter, when otherwise I would be forced to wear (shudder) TIGHTS.  Tights are always my last resort!  (I have hated since since I was a wee babe!  One of my earliest memories is my mom struggling to put me in a pair of white tights for temple.)

 

Sorry about the messy room.  I'm wearing this jumpsuit -- my first Anthro purchase in months!

 

* (affiliate links)

Here's a cool thing for your kitchen:

Check it!
 

 

I found this thing on Amazon the other week, and it's so handy!  It fits a ton of dishes...

 

 

...looks nice...

 

 

 

...and rolls up small when you are ready to put it away. 

 

I love that I don't have to find storage for a clunky traditional metal drying rack!  It's here on Amazon (affiliate link).

 

How was everyone's New Year's holidays?  Any significant resolutions?  I didn't resolve anything this year, although it is my goal to start getting a bit healthier this year.  I have fallen out of the habit of exercising, and I definitely want to get back into that!

Look what I found!

I found myself browsing a flea market in Dover, Delaware this past weekend when I stumbled upon this:

Remember the Anthropologie Stormy Seas necklace?  I joined the Cult of Anthro about a year too late to buy this in stores, and I always coveted it on others.  I found similar necklaces, but always sort of wanted the original.

Now, $5 (and quite a few years) later, here we are, together at last.

Serendipitous finds like this are a big part of the reason I love flea markets!  (The other reason:  totally bizarre and quirky treasures.  See, e.g., here.)  Have you ever had something like this happen, where you found a long-awaited object second-hand?  Do tell!

My Biggest Sale Haul Yet!

Have I told you all yet about how much I love the city of Baltimore?

Well, I absolutely adore it.  Baltimore is homey, quirky, and completely lives up to its nickname of "Charm City."  Baltimore has utterly charmed me thus far.  In fact, I'm hoping to start blogging more about some of the fantastic activities this city has to offer.  I believe this is a city on the rise, for sure.

I love Baltimore so much, that I bought this:

AHHHH!!!  I'm a homeowner!!

There are a bunch of reasons I decided to plunge into homeownership in Baltimore.  First, the real estate market here is pretty good for buyers.  The city has hit its stride but it hasn't quite boomed yet, so real estate generally moves relatively slowly and there are decent deals to be had.  (Plus, interest rates are still extremely low, and those low rates won't last forever.)  Second, the rental market has far outpaced the buying market; you pay substantially more in rent than you would to buy the same house.  Third, I signed a four-year commitment letter with my job, and I'm getting loan repayment assistance from my law school (given to people who take a public interest or government law job and earn below a certain threshold) that is 100% forgiven after five years...so I'm likely going to be in Baltimore for a while.  Plus, I figured if I bought a place in a neighborhood with a strong rental market, I wouldn't be forced to sell whenever I moved; I could just keep the house as an investment property and rent it out to cover my mortgage and expenses.

I started looking at houses in May, before I moved here.  I looked at about 25 houses and I actually put an offer in on this house (how freaking beautiful is that place???), but when the sellers countered for $1500 higher than my offer, I suddenly got cold feet and backed out.  I can't explain why it didn't feel right to buy that house...my parents did not seem particularly enthusiastic about pitching in for a down payment, and there were multiple buyers for the relatively-new-on-the-market house, which made me feel nervous and pressured.  And perhaps on some level I was concerned about buying before I even knew if I would like living in Baltimore.

In the end, I'm glad I didn't buy back in May.  It helped a TON to live here for a few months, get to know the neighborhoods, and get a better sense for where I like to hang out.  I realized in the time I lived in Fed Hill that I loved being close to the harbor, but wanted to be in a neighborhood with a population my own age.  (Fed Hill is fantastic but the average age there is approximately 23.)

When my Fed Hill landlords informed me that they were selling the house I'd been renting a room in and that we'd all have to leave, it seemed like as good of a time as any to resume the housing search!  I had two months before I needed to move out of my old house, so I figured I'd look at real estate for a month, and if I didn't find anything I loved I would just rent again.  I decided to focus on houses with two to three bedrooms, and at a price point that would allow me to cover at least 75% of my mortgage with rental income.  I figured a house of this size would lower my expenses and would give me room to grow if I started a family and we ended up staying in the city.  (The middle schools in the city aren't great, but the elementary school in the neighborhood I ended up buying in is pretty decent and would probably be fine (and would delay the inevitable move out to the better school districts of the suburbs).)

I looked at more than thirty houses in October.  I found a lot of very cool, great houses that seemed promising.  But the moment I walked into the house I ended up buying, I immediately felt a warm, cozy, homey feeling.  It wasn't perfect, and I wasn't blind to the things that weren't perfect about it (I would have loved an open kitchen with different finishes --- like that first house --- or a full bathroom for each bedroom (my house is a 3/2.5)), but I still loved it.  The neighborhood is awesome, the neighbors are chill, and the rental market is strong due to the proximity to Hopkins.  On the whole, it was perfect for me given my price point.  PLUS, the house had been on the market for more than 100 days,* meaning no pressure to bid high to beat out competition!  I was swooning.** 

* I'm not sure why it was on the market for so long --- although in Baltimore 100+ days on the market is not that unusual --- but I think it was because the owners accepted an offer on it after a few weeks, and three days later (without any kind of home inspection) the buyers got cold feet and pulled out.  The house was relisted and essentially became a "back on the market" house.  Often BOM houses face a stigma from new buyers that hurts their market value.

** An indicator of how well my excellent real estate agent got to know me and my taste:  We walked into my house, I immediately oozed, "Oooh, I love it..." and my agent said, "Wait until you hear how long it's been on the market and you'll love it even more."  Srsly, he was great.

The period from contract to purchase was stressful, filled with multiple unnecessary dramas and last-minute crises.  But with the help of a fantastic real estate agent and very supportive parents, we were able to get to closing on time!  I also got the maximum seller cash contribution allowed, so not only did I get a pretty decent deal, but the purchase price on record is higher than the final price I paid (because of the seller contribution), which will hopefully be good for increasing property values in the neighborhood.  Of course, the seller contribution is on record, too, but to the extent that the sale price is a more visible/accessible measure of property values than final sale price, that's gotta be good for property values.

I've already found roommates for the other two bedrooms, and my rental income will almost completely cover my mortgage payment, taxes, and insurance.  This will help me put more money away for loans/savings/home repairs!

I'm still in the process of moving in and decorating, and I have one reasonably big redesign project on the immediate horizon (a contractor is coming in to add a wall and a door to the master suite --- right now, it's not closed off at all so it lacks privacy).  I'll post photos once things get more settled!  I couldn't be happier with the place.  Sometimes I look around the house and feel so overwhelmed with love for my surroundings.  It's my HOME.

So, there you have it!  Do any homeowners read my blog?  What was your buying experience like?  Are you glad you bought?  Any tips or tricks for me?  What websites do I need to know about?