Jess Lively

  On the organizing front in the new place we’ve been making progress! A few weeks ago I shared Phase One of the tiny 4′x5′ master closet Mr. Lively and I share. As you may recall, it looked like this. Not too bad, but definitely not taking advantage of all the vertical space on the back and [...]

Yesterday Mr. Lively and I worked a bit more on the apartment. Not a lot because I totally needed a break, but we did finish the gallery wall in the back hall. As you may recall, the hall to our bedroom first looked like this before we moved in. Long, white, and kinda boring. To [...]

While Mr. Lively and I worked on the living room curtains I thought that I came up with a killer trick to share with you all. I really believed in a random stroke of genius, I had come up with something new and fresh to offer the design world. But recently on a trip to [...]

Over the weekend in Ann Arbor I took Mr. Lively to my second favorite thrifting shop, The Treasure Mart.* Right before we accidentally spilled coffee on a blanket I was convincing talking Mr. Lively into**, he spotted a steal of a deal. Clocking in at just $60 for a well-sized oval white marble top, this coffee table [...]

There is definitely progress happening on the home front. I’ve honored my birthday by treating myself to some home design time. Here is one of the recent updates which makes me so, so happy. Mr. Lively’s bachelor dresser (hailing from the land of Swedish meatballs) is looking a bit spiffier in his new digs. Here [...]

As we’ve been decorating our home (or at least starting to decorate our home) we have been using Craigslist to find pieces that have a bit of character with a great price tag. The Craigslist app has been my constant companion lately as I’ve hunted for the perfect mirror, guest room furniture, etc. Here are our [...]

I am happy to report that after my post on feeling scared earlier this week, I am feeling much better! I really started to feel less scared once I went back to work. Being dropped back into a normal routine, as many of you suggested in the comments in the scared post, was really what [...]

For the last few weeks I have been looking forward to sharing how to hang permanent wallpaper in a temporary way. I did a lot of research, considered the options, and decided upon the best plan of action that would not only allow us to easily remove the wallpaper, but also reuse it in a [...]

First of all, thank you all so much for your feel better wishes. I’m feeling much better today and think that in a few more days I’ll be back to 100%. Yesterday I had a few bursts of energy and made a surprising amount of progress. One of the first areas I was keen to [...]

After three days of moving we are unpacked and settled in beautifully. Not.  The patio which you see in the picture above was actually complete in the first 45 minutes of our move on Friday. Our car had become our last resort storage facility in the final weeks, and all our patio furniture was just [...]

As I tell Mr. Lively (frequently) we are just four sleeps away from moving things to our new apartment. At this point I am pretty much consumed by preparations for the new apartment and the only way I can contain myself is by staying busy. Or sleeping. The level of excitement I feel rivals my [...]

  Since getting back from our elopement I have had one major project on my mind whenever I’m not working: decorating the new apartment. Decorating and design is literally my favorite thing to do on the planet. And the chance to start with a fresh canvas makes me giddy. Thankfully, Mr. Lively appreciates my interior [...]