hello fall. hello home.

Wow, time has just flown by. How did it already become mid-September? This past summer has been a whirlwind with our engagement (#HappilyEverAxten), wedding planning and then of course, the house hunt -- so as you can imagine, we've been up to ears with to-do lists and a bit overwhelmed. Oh and work doesn't slow down when big life moments pop up. It actually gets crazier... strange, right?

Regardless - amidst the craziness, my main squeeze and I are blessed and thrilled that everything is coming together.

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE and have been working hard on transforming our cute little bungalow of a house into our happy home. Follow #TheAxtenBungalow on Instagram for a few snippets of the makeover. Painting countless walls, ripping up carpet, bargain shopping for furniture and endless Pottery Barn catalogs later -- it's really starting to look a lot like home.

Here is a sneak peek. Excited to share a before and after photo shoot when it's all done!

Any home decorating tips? Send them my way please!

xoxo

Three Easy Ways to Accessorize Your Home With Flowers + Giveaway!

image via

It's very obvious I have a thing for fresh blooms. When I lived downtown (can't believe I'm saying that, since we just moved like two days ago... more to come on that!), I would always pick up fresh flowers from Pikes Place Market on a weekly basis. And often when I visited the Ballard Farmer's Market, I'd also grab a bouquet. There is just something about fresh cut flowers, wrapped in kraft paper that gets me every time. Peonies, daises, roses and hydrangeas -- these are just a few of my favorite fleurs.

Flowers make a beautiful, natural way to brighten up your happy home. And you don't have to just stick 'em in a vase. There's tons of different ways to decorate, and I've teamed up with Petal City to share three easy ways to accessorize your home with fresh flowers and plants.

image via

Use a Tea Cup as a Planter: Where to find tea cups? Dig through your grandma's attic or find one at a thrift store (there's always tons of cute vintage and patterned cups and saucers). You can also personalize plain white mugs and cups by drawing on a design with a sharpie and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I love decorating my side tables and the counter-top in my kitchen with them. 

Float Flowers in a Bowl: For an elevated floral display in your living room (recommend this more for when you're entertaining guests), cut off all the stems and place in a bowl halfway filled with water for a tranquil and relaxing setting.

Make a Floral Wreath: Grab a floral sponge wreath, some green floral tape, blooms, ribbon and start twisting and tying for a cute piece of decor to hang on your door.

In a hurry and don't have time to try one of those tips above? Petal City hand delivers beautiful floral arrangements in the Seattle area within one hour or less. So no stress needed if you're planning a dinner party and forgot the blooms. Petal City to the rescue!

For 15% off your purchase, use my code: ACCESS15

I loved the Alki Bouquet Petal City sent me! Hand delivered and absolutely stunning. It was the perfect pop of color to my desk at work.

Want to WIN a floral arrangement from Petal City? Share with me your favorite flower in comments below! 

the house hunt. // the journey and our last hurdle

image via

Follow Amanda B.'s board The Axten Bungalow on Pinterest.

As some of you may know from a previous blog post and my recent pins, my main squeeze and I have been house hunting. I kid you not, this process has been an emotional roller-coaster.

In total, we've spent about four months aggressively stalking all real estate sites and meeting with our agent. If someone were to stumble upon our pre-"open house" planning sessions, they would think we're crazy. We have Zillow on my iPad, Redfin on his, the MLS listings up on our laptop, and then Windemere and Google Maps on other various screens.

During this journey, we ran into a bunch of obstacles. We realized the neighborhoods we wanted to live in... Welp, everyone else wanted to live there, too. We learned that photos on Zillow are really deceiving; i.e., we toured a house that I'm 100-percent convinced was built for gnomes. Three bedrooms, my butt mister... that house had barely a one bed, and splitting your attic does not mean two bedrooms. We also discovered that neighbors are important, especially normal ones because we definitely ran into some questionable folks near the houses we toured.

We put in our first offer.... didn't get it. That night, I cried. No, I actually balled my eyes out. I had fallen in love. The second offer, there were nine bids. I didn't even breathe or flinch when K told me we didn't get it. I was becoming numb to this cold, competitive market... didn't want to get our hopes high again. With the shutdown of our two offers, K and I got a little nervous. Both of us had invested so much time looking for our new home, and we knew from talking to our friends who were builders/investors, that the market was only going to get worst. Were we really going to get outbid every time?

But then about a week after our second offer fell through, we found this cute little gem of a house in a neighborhood we merely skimmed over... it was totally not on our radar, and the house was sorta of hidden away. Kellen forwarded me the listing, and we thought, "Well heck, why not? We've got nothing to lose." So K and I met up with our agent that day, and as soon as we walked through the front door, we just knew -- this is it! We fell in love.

Bonus, the house is ten times bigger and better than the previous two offers we put in. It is close to the city, but far enough where we can call it a semi-suburbia residence. That same day, we put in our offer... and then the waiting game began.

Over the past few weeks, we've been going through our inspections, a few rounds of negotiations that almost made me pull my hair out, and then dealt with a little drama, aka the seller was being a huge diva. Finally today, we're getting over our last hurdle -- the appraisal. I'm hoping the next time I'm updating you on our house hunt, it will be us squealing with the keys to our little bungalow of a home. [insert praying hands emoji]

Fingers crossed that we'll hear good news today!

big life moments: marriage and house hunting

Blah blah blah I know... I haven't written on here for a whole month. Let me repeat.. a whole month. You can call it a hiatus or me being lazy.. but I'll be the first to admit that it just wasn't a priority (sadly). And before I get bashed or "I can't believe you just said that" finger pointing at me...let me explain. 

First, you can't blame me for romping around town and basking in the glow of my engagement... secondly, I've also just been swamped with the start of this crazy process for both wedding planning and house hunting.

Did you hear that? HOUSE. I know. We're absolutely nutso to be going through both of these huge life moments at the exact... same.. time. I've heard that about a bajillion times so far already, and I can't tell you how fast my heart pitter patters each time I say both of those things out loud.

And it's not exactly the easiest of things either. The housing market in Seattle is a mad zoo. It's competitive. There are bidding wars... which makes me feel like it's The Hunger Games to find your dream home. Prices are skyrocketing and hopeful, optimistic first-time-home-buyers like myself and my main squeeze are just overwhelmed as international investors are buying everything left and right.. in cash.



So yes, my weekends have become not as sexy as they used to be. We've traded date nights for Zillow stalking, wine and takeout, and on week nights, I'm doing wedding research. Instead of my random shopping adventures, I've been pinching every penny for the future casa. I've pretty much said "goodbye" to Nordys and "hellloooo Home Depot". (This is only temporarily, right?)

And for those in the Seattle area who have recently bought a home or in the process - I feel your pain. My heart has been broken.. not once, but twice. And my main squeeze and I are reevaluating what's most important for this home. Is it location, space and/or schools? I feel like in this market either you get A with a hefty price tag or B and C but with a 45min+ commute each way to work. We're weighing our pros and cons right now, and doing our best to figure it all out.

As we continue on this marathon of house hunting and wedding planning, I'll be sure to fill you in. There's going to be a few vent seshes (apologies in advance), some tears and hopefully, high-pitched squeals when we start to get everything a bit more concrete.

Until next time...

If you recently bought a house or are looking for one, 

feel free to share your tips via tweet or comment below!

xoxo

deck the halls // holiday decor

image via

There's nothing I adore more than twinkling holiday lights and sparkly, metallic home accents to celebrate the season. Yes, yes... reds and greens are the traditional deck-the-hall colors, but I love LOVE the golds, rustic mercury glass vases, and rich color of dark evergreen wreaths. Blended with the spicy scent of cinnamon and gingerbread, let's just say it has holiday merriment written all over it.

This holiday, I'm looking forward to adding a few trinkets here and there to my happy home. A few of my favorite places to shop like Nordstrom, West Elm and C. Wonder even have a a whole section on their website for holiday decorations, which include barware, ornaments, candles, bottle stoppers and more. 

One of my favorite and inexpensive holiday decor finds... *drumroll please* is this beautiful, white ceramic stag head. The best part - the stag can serve as a year-round piece of home decor. Same with this sweet smelling white candle. Also, how can you say "no" to this gold cocktail shaker?! Pop. Fizz. Clink! 

Yes, my holiday craze may be a little bit early... seeing that I haven't even had a bite of Thanksgiving yet. But, I just can't help it. What can I say... Christmas is my favorite, and with that, I'm popping in "Elf" into the DVD player to begin the holiday movie marathon. 

Need a few holiday decor ideas to spruce up your happy home? Shop with me below! 

Have you started decorating for the holidays yet?

xoxo

celebrating fall at home with antica farmacista

image via

As the colors change, we welcome the new season into our homes. Whether that'd be more mason jar candles, beautiful festive pumpkins or even fall-like scents -- I'm beyond thrilled to be adding this season's decor to my happy home. 

With my recent trip to the pumpkin patch (more details to come this week!) - I'm thinking of dabbling with a little DIY no carve pumpkin decor. I'm in love with the glittered and ombre ideas below. 

image via

image via

Check out these easy, no-carve decorating ideas from Apartment Therapy and Better Homes and Garden!

In addition to beautifully decorated pumpkins, I'm also excited for fall scents - candles, yummy pumpkin pie, spiced cider, and cinnamon pine cones! To help me celebrate all things fall this October and in honor of National Breast Awareness Month, my friends at Antica Farmacista sent me the fresh fragrance and home diffuser of Peonia, Gardenia and Rosa. 

What's even more awesome about it - 100% of the profits from this fragrance along with any of the Peonia, Gardenia & Rosa products benefit Gilda's Club, which is an organization that supports cancer survivors and their families. Antica co-owner, Susan Pruitt battled breast cancer seven years ago, and Gilda's Club was a tremendous support for her. 

The fragrance is absolutely beautiful. Subtle woodsy notes and a mix of floral notes from peonia, rose and gardenia bring a warm, romantic vibe to my happy home. I love it styled next to the assortment of candles and the wee, little pumpkin on my side table. 

How are you decorating your happy home for fall? 

xoxo

Antica Farmacista was established in 2003, as the first company to introduce the home ambiance reed diffuser in the U.S. Antica was built on the founders' philosophy of "whether for the home or body, each and every one of  us should have a signature scent that tells our own personal story". Antica fragrances can be purchased at domestic retail partners: Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel and approximately 900 boutiques throughout the US.

Disclosure: Products and samples were provided by Antica Farmacista. As always, all opinions expressed are my own! 

happy home: spring scents

What comes with spring? Spring cleaning, fresh blooms and brighter home decor. This weekend, I gave my happy home a deep scrub - dusting every nook and cranny, rearranging the too-many-to-count assortment of candles on my coffee table, and of course, picking up a few tulips from the market to give my place a pop of color. To add the final touch of "girly girl", as my main squeeze calls it, I spritzed the clean and oh so lovely scent of Bergamot and Ocean Aria, one of the room fragrances I recently received from Antica Farmacista. Fresh saltwater notes with hints of soft jasmine and lavender bring a tranquil mood to my happy home. Immediately, I was in my "zen" zone. 

(Thanks, Antica Farmacista for the Happy Home goodies!) 

My New Favorite Room Fragrance: Bergamot and Ocean Aria

If you're more of a citrus lover, Antica Farmacista has other scents to choose from such as Grapefruit or Lemon, Verbena and Cedar that give a more zesty smell. Or if you like me, I like to mix up scents based on the room... i.e. play up a more perky, happy scent in the bathroom to wake me up in the morning when I get ready for the day.

Currently in my powder room is the Ala Moana Home Ambience Perfume. It's a crisp, clean floral scent that reminds me of a little tropical oasis. My main squeeze is a huge fan of this scent and immediately noticed it when he stopped by this afternoon.

Ala Moana on my vanity in the bathroom. 

The best thing about the Ala Moana Home Ambience Perfume I received is that it's basically fragrance diffuser! Notice the little sticks pointing out of the bottle? As the weather gets warmer, you know that the last thing you'll want to do is light candles to bring an inviting scent to your home. Also, Febreeze can sometimes smell a little like a doctor's office... So I'll just leave those aerosol sprays for them. Keeping it cool and fresh is the way to go this season, and this diffuser is the perfect little trick for that. Also, how cute is that little antique-looking apothecary bottle? Absolutely adorbs and such a cute way to dress up the bathroom decor. 

How are you bringing spring into your happy home?

Share your ideas below!

xoxo

Antica Farmacista was established in 2003, as the first company to introduce the home ambiance reed diffuser in the U.S. Antica was built on the founders' philosophy of "whether for the home or body, each and every one of  us should have a signature scent that tells our own personal story". Antica fragrances can be purchased at domestic retail partners: Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel and approximately 900 boutiques throughout the US.

Disclosure: Products and samples were provided by Antica Farmacista. As always, all opinions expressed are my own! 

Accessorizing Life With: Justina Blakeney

For my next "Accessorizing Life with" feature, I had an incredible opportunity to interview Justina Blakeney, an amazing stylist and designer with awesome boho-chic swag. I fell in love with Justina's blog about two years ago when I first stumbled upon it for tips and tricks on home decor. With my recent move, I definitely went to her blog for inspiration and creativity - her flair for bold colors and mixing prints is absolutely amazing. 

What I love most about Justina's content is her curation of visually compelling images on Pinterest. There's no way to describe it but simply awe-inspiring and b-e-a-utiful. Whether you're re-decorating your home or figuring out what new frames to add to your wall gallery - Justina's blog is a perfect guide for the talented and newbies alike.

Hope you all enjoy getting to know her! 

xoxo

1. Who/what inspires you?
My daughter inspires me, as do plants!

2. What is your favorite home accessory? 
Right now, my favorite home accessory is this jungalow hanging planter designed by me and crafted here in LA by MFEO.

Justina's Jungalow Hanging Planter

3. In three words, describe your happy home.
Colorful, soulful and wild.

A Snippet of Justina's Jungalow // Loving all the bright colors and prints!

4. Over the time that you've spent blogging and designing, what has been your most rewarding experience?
I think that the online courses that I'm teaching in styling are extremely rewarding. For $19, anyone can sign up for the class and I get to witness how much better people's homes look after completing the course. I love hearing from my students, and so many of them have explained how they look at their home in such a new light since taking the classes, and I love that the courses are an accessible and affordable way for people to increase their quality of life through home decor and styling.

5. What advice would you give to those who are redecorating and accessorizing their happy home?
Don't think of decorating as a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Decorating is a fluid process. your home should change as you grow as you do -- it's OK for your home to never be 'finished.' Enjoy the journey!

Thank you, Justina for your time and for being a part of the "Accesorizing Life With" series. 

Truly appreciate it! 

Happy Home with Jeanne of Shop Sweet Things

When I first began decorating my new place, inspiration and decor ideas were definitely gleaned from one of my favorite bloggers, Jeanne who writes the beautiful blog Shop Sweet Things. 

She just has that eye for style and clean design... with pops of color! I recently had the privilege of interviewing her for some home decor tips, and am absolutely honored to be featuring her for today's post.

Hope you enjoy!

Describe your home in three words or less.

Modern. Eclectic. Happy.

Interior Styling by Jeanne with Justina Blakeney

What makes your space a "happy home?"

I like to surround myself with colors and unique objects. It makes me happy when I see things displayed nicely and that everything has a place.

Do you have any favorite places to shop for home decor?

I go all over the place. I like anywhere from Target to Ikea to West Elm to CB2. For online, I love shopping through LEIF, Etsy, Poketo and independent online shops - usually things I don't have access to physically. I also use social shopping sites like Luvocracy to help me discover products online. And for local (San Francisco), I check out The General Store, H.D. Buttercup, and love thrifting at The Other Shop that specializes in mid-modern century goods.

Styling Target's Nate Berkus Collection

What advice would you give to those redecorating their happy home?

You really have to go with your instinct and trust yourself. Don't put something in your house because it's a trend or seen all over magazines or blogs. All the items should be something you love or have connections with. It's the worst when you're stuck with something that is an eye sore.

Thanks again to Jeanne for her time and sharing her tips for a happy home!

xoxo

sneak peek: happy home.

I've  been a busy bee this weekend with the rest of my unpacking, decorating, catching up with friends and taking care of my main squeeze who got the sickies... even managed to fit in some home cooking (made homemade lasagna feat. pasta & co. fresh spinach lasagna sheets and roasted butternut squash soup). 

But.. I thought I'd share a sneak peek of my home tour!

one of my favorite photos: grandpa and me | styled on a two by two ikea expedit bookcase

kate spade. daisies. oversized diamonds and a creme brulee scented candle.

As I began the home decor styling last night, I reflected on all of the fun recent purchases to make my place a home. Here are a few of my new happy home accessories: 

1. this beautiful, sweet smelling anthropologie capri blue mercury glass candle (above)
2. the cutest and cheerful coasters from j.crew (above) - similar coasters here from sugar paper
3. anything from one king's lane... (addicted!)
4. my brand new coffee table book - kate spade's things we love.
5. my super, comfy new white pin-tucked bedding

Stay tuned this week as I wrap up the decorating and share with you my happy home via video home tour.

xoxo 

making moves.

image via

wise words kirsten. taking your advice today and the next... as i'm excited to announce some fun news and updates.

1. My happy home series is reaching its end... as my last post (next week) will feature a home tour of my new place! I'm beyond excited to share my home with you, and all of the fun new things I purchased along the way. major props and shoutout goes to my main squeeze for helping me with the many trips to west elm, target and ikea. 
2. I'm officially a contributing blogger for Eat Seattle - where I've been asked to write and share foodie journeys around the Seattle area. Beyond excited for this opportunity, and am so excited to work with Charles on it.
3. My next mini-series - Accessorizing Life With - will feature a few of inspiring women/leaders who I've met along my blogging journey. The first post will kick off tomorrow... can you guess who's up first? 

Excited for these new adventures!

xoxo

happy home: kitchen accessories.

image via

By far, the most important part of a new home (besides my fluffy bed) is the kitchen - a place that brings me calm over good food, bubbly and sweet treats. As the kitchen is a haven where I seek simplicity and comfort, I want to decorate it with simple, vintage pieces - bringing that sense of warmth and assurance that there is no stress in this space - just beautiful plates and bubbly.

I'm thinking a mix of Anthropologie-like serving ware, gold-rimmed champagne flutes from One Kings Lane (my latest addiction), and these beautiful, oversized mugs from West Elm -- Also, I love the idea of a quick mix-match - so print or no-print, it doesn't matter. If it passes my "cute" check-list, then it's going in the shopping cart.

Totally understand that my color palette for my new space will be filled with bright pops of chartreuse and shades of gray, but for my kitchen, I'm going to focus on incorporating more simple whites and ocean blues into my serving ware so that when I'm plating my meals, the colors in my food will be more vibrant... and remember, the meal tastes as good as it looks too :) Currently with my existing plates and bowls, there's a lot of simple black and whites and of course, clear glass. With the whites and blues, I hope it will help soften the harshness of my current cupboard collection. Maybe a little gold will add some glitz to the bar tray, and glam to my gastronomic oasis.

Here are a few of my favorites that I've been wanting to add to my new kitchen. If you have any places you suggest I look, please do share in comments below.

Otherwise, feel free to shop with me here!

happy home: cozy comfort.

My fondest moments of bliss are those spent on a lazy Sunday, well-rested and wrapped in soft, comfy blankets. That's why finding the perfect bedding for my new place will be just as important as the rest of my decor -- I'll be spending many rainy, Seattle days cozied up in it with my favorite coconut green tea and a book or the latest issue of Vogue. Since my new place is a studio - I'll want to make sure that the new bedding matches with my chartreuse and grey color palette as mentioned in my previous happy home post, featuring living room accents. As such, greys, whites and a dark trim are definitely going to be considered when I shop for these lovely, fluffy must-haves. Below is a round up of my current picks from West Elm, Serena & Lilly and Target. Can't wait to share with you what I decide on getting!

Do you have a favorite store for bedding, pillows and throws? 

Feel free to share in comments below! 

xoxo

happy home: living room accents.

Recently, I stumbled upon this abstract art piece on Image Kind (above) - just mesmerized by the patches of yellow and shades of gray. As I continue to think of what colors I want to bring into my new space, I've become more and more drawn to this color palette - a bright chartreuse, accompanied by dark and light grays. Obvi, I'll plan to add some pops of pink or gold here and there with tabletop accents. :)

To be honest... when picking out home decor, I didn't even know where to start. Maybe it's a little more difficult right now since I haven't gotten the keys to my new place yet, nor started moving my ish in... but what's a girl to do when she's constantly hooked on West Elm, Nordstrom, and C. Wonder ... and drooling over new vases, pillows and throws? So the hunt for living room accents began last night.

Below are some goodies that caught my eye and were inspired by my latest obsession with the color palette above!

Definitely in love with the mirrored side table and the chevron zig zag mini-pouf.

Any favorites that you'd consider a must-buy? 

Would love to hear your thoughts in comments below!

xoxo

To find out more about my potential new living room accents, click below!

a new home.

Exciting news: I'm moving to a new place! (Don't worry; I'll still be in Seattle!) What I'm most ecstatic about is the reason to buy new home decor and little fun trinkets to dress up my place. It'll be a great chance to pick up new bedding - maybe this organic ikat patterned duvet set from west elm... as well as other fun living room and bedroom pieces. Currently, I'm on the hunt for patterned curtains, lamps and tabletop accessories.

In these next few weeks leading up to the big move, I'll be posting a mini-series "happy home" featuring a few of my favorite picks and possible decor options I'd like to style my new place with. If you have any suggestions on where you've found neat treasures for your home, feel free to share in comments below. Would love to hear them!

So happy to share this new adventure with you!

xoxo