Thursday, June 17, 2010

Before & After: An Entry

The Entry Table

The Problem: After replacing my old bookshelf with our dresser, we needed places for books and other open display items (including some beautiful vases we received as wedding presents). The entry table we had held some stuff, but we found that the hip-height surface collected a lot of clutter and didn't break up the entry from the room as much as we would have liked.

The Solution: Go vertical! We replaced the entry table with an Ikea shelving unit (Expedit Bookcase) that is very similar in form. The difference is, the new shelving is a beautiful dark wood and much sturdier and better quality than the old piece. We left it vertical to serve as a room divider and to discourage ourselves from cluttering up the top with junk mail. The cubes provide interesting places to stash our favorite books, frames and pottery and we were able to leave some of the storage at the bottom.


Highly Recommended Books:
For the Pictures:
For the Words:







Monday, June 14, 2010

Before & After: A Vanity & Dresser

We were planning on showing you the whole apartment redecoration at once, but its taking a little longer than we thought and we just can't wait! Instead we'll show you piece by piece...

The Vanity & Dresser

The Problem: 2 people = 2 times as many clothes. We needed more storage space for casual clothes like t-shirts that were taking up valuable closet space. The book shelf that was previously in this location also served as a vanity and hairstyling station, but it often looked cluttered and didn't provide anywhere to stash less attractive beauty accessories (hairspray, makeup remover, etc.). In order to use the blowdryer, straightener or curling iron, I had to slide the shelf aside to access the outlet.

The Solution: We changed the smaller, light light colored bookshelf out for a dark wood, oversized dresser from Ikea (Malm 6-Drawer Chest). The big drawers provided space for all of our foldable clothing and the two smaller top drawers allow for much better vanity storage. We ran an extension cord through an existing space in the back of the top left drawer and made it into super-convenient hair tool and cord storage. Now instead of having to move the dresser, plug in the curling iron, then unplug and store it afterwards, I can simply pull it out, turn it on and stow it back away easily. For the top right drawer we used collapsible dividers, also from Ikea (Komplement Storage Boxes) to create a place to put extra beauty supplies. This allowed for a much prettier and less cluttered vanity top.





What do you think?

Saturday, June 12, 2010

We're Remodeling!

Jake likes to tease that I haven't left any space in my apartment for him to move in and whine about how he can't bring his surfboard. Let me make my case here:

OUR APARTMENT IS LESS THAN 310 SQUARE FEET.
Do you know how small that is? IT'S TEENY TINY.

Don't get me wrong. I love my apartment, which has now become our apartment.
It has big windows & great light,
hardwood floors,
crown molding,
decent paint colors,
& great wooden blinds.
It's just tiny.

So Jake & I have gotten around to taking our apartment from
a one-person college apartment
to
a newlywed retreat for two.

We are now celebrities at Ikea & Target and
thanks to the beautiful wedding gifts we received, it is shaping up nicely.

But there have been some sacrifices:


Rest in Peace Pink Chair. You represent the thrill of my college years
and what 19 year olds will do when they are bored at 10pm.
I will never forget you.

STAY TUNED FOR BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES OF OUR APARTMENT!


Wedding Photos

We LOVE our wedding photographer! Ashley Cain of Cain Photography is a very talented and dynamic photographer and also (lucky for us) Jake's cousin! Here are the photos of our wedding that she released as a sneak peek!











To see the rest of our wedding photographs, you can visit http://www.collages.net and use the Username: Curtis Wedding and the Password: 22543

The Honeymoon...

Everyone keeps asking how the Honeymoon was and we have to answer that it was, undeniably, AMAZING. There is no doubt in our minds that we certainly over-extended ourselves this past year, so having a few days to really rest and relax was just what we needed. Our final destination was a bit too far away to drive right after the wedding, so we stayed at the more local Lafayette Park Hotel for the first night. Our King Fireplace sweet was luxurious and they had chocolate covered strawberries and champaign waiting for us when we arrived. After spending a night in a bed so soft, you could hardly see out of it, we spent part of the day lounging out by the pool. Before leaving, we had our first (but certainly not last) couple's massage. Jake had never had a massage before, and I could tell he was impressed! Afterwards, they served us chocolate and champaign on our own private sun deck and we discussed how we should honeymoon more often!
Finally, we made the three or four hour drive down to Cambria. If you were to drive down to Paso Robles, hang a right and drive out to the coast, you would be in Cambria. We chose Cambria because it is quiet, has great food, and is so quintessentially California. We chose right. We stayed at the White Water Inn, which is on the end of a string of little inns and B&Bs that face out toward the ocean. Our suite had a sitting room with a view of the coast and a private patio with a two-person jacuzzi and a view of the ocean. We spent a lot of time in our jacuzzi with a bottle of our wedding campaign, enjoying the ocean breeze. There is nothing like the service you get when you stay in a smaller inn. At the White Water Inn, they bring a breakfast tray to your room every morning with freshly baked muffins and bagels, fruit, coffee and orange juice. Much to Jake's delight, they also wash your car windows every day!







We ate a lot of good food (we now have a clam chowder rating system) and spent one day touring the nearby Hearst Castle. Honeymoons must be lucky because in all the times I've been to the Castle, I've never seen the famed zebras. This time we did! They were practically posing for us! The elephant seals that nap on the beach up the road were also feeling photogenic, but we decided they just weren't as cute as the zebras. At the end of the trip, we were sad to go back to the "real world", but we made each other a promise to try to make every day something like the honeymoon. We're doing well so far!




THANK YOU!

Dear Family & Friends,

Our wedding day was everything we dreamed of and more. Many of you worked with us to iron out every flower arrangement, tie, strappy sandal and first dance song. We really appreciate your hard work. Most of all, we would like to thank everyone who came from near and far to be with us on our special day and who made all of those details come to life! We couldn't have imagined a better way to kick off our married life together. Thank You!

Love Always,

Jake & Tobi

Jake's Graduation!


Jake Graduated on May 29th with a B.S. in Administration with a concentration in Management (He loves to practice these skills on me). Everyone we know is so proud of Jake for being such a diligent student and for graduating in four years flat (A challenge at today's state school). Mike, Lita and I attended the School of Business commencement on Friday. On Saturday the whole gang came out, including Mike, Lita, Nick, Taylor & Joe, and the Richards Family. Jake & I wanted to be together down on the field, so I borrowed a cap and gown and snuck down on the field. It wasn't very challenging. In fact, the photo company has been sending me reminders to order copies of the graduation picture proofs they sent me! Spoiler Alert: The following post contains pictures of what I will look like next year when I graduate.