autumn apartment a-go-go! (part2)

as promised, here are some new pix of our living space!
{our main living space is super open, which means we can have lots of fun with the arrangement and load up the walls with fun stuff. one of my favorite things about autumn is lighting the fireplace - nothing is cozier than a fire!}
{looking at this wall makes me happy. the post office sign hails from dan's family. coincidentally, dan's grandma on his mom's side was named Betty Bunch (how cute is that?). AND, she was a fashion designer in hollywood (how cool is that?).

i had the violet triptych made for dan as a valentine's day gift. he's obsessed with radiohead so i went online & printed some concert photos he snapped onto canvas. all of the other artwork on the wall are my drawings and paintings.

this little magazine bowl was a gift from our friends melanie and pete. the painting is by our awesome friend michael herring. the victor talking machine is from dan's dad's side of the family. and all of these guys set upon the pretty "buttersquash" table, also from dan's family.}

{L-O-V-E!!! i'm so excited about this new addition to the salon wall! this morning, i painted these little scrabble letters. i think this is a perfect spot for them, and mr. deuce does too! sidenote: in the top photo, i think it's fun that you can see the building across the street in the mirror.}

{i'm a sucker for lanterns. i love how they soften a corner - even unlit. and, they're just plain fun. like giant bubbles.

i've stacked up a bunch of family photos on the fireplace... here are a few favorites: dan & his dad, my dad giving nephew max a dogsled ride, and me & my siblings as kids.

the paintings above the fireplace are a mixture of michael's and mine - his are the really cool decaying faces.}
{a view facing the balcony. the pretty tree is from dan's dad's memorial. mr. deuce is determined to knock it over and eat all of the leaves, but he hasn't been successful yet! the beautiful painting over the television is another michael original (basically we aim to fill our entire place with michael paintings). under the television, if you look closely, you'll see my precious collection of gilmore girls DVDs. in case of fire, the saving goes in this order: dan, deuce, gilmore girls.}

{a view of our living space from a different angle... featuring our lovely blue couch and zebra chair, again, both finds in iowa city. dan's dad repainted this bookcase for him. we've stuffed just about all we can stuff in it! we definitely need some more book storage. the vintage lamp and fan are from dan's family. the gorgeous frida kahlo book is a 30th birthday gift from genie. below, my fabulous gilmore girls script, "the lorelai's first day at chilton" - also from genie, some photos of my iowa gymnastics days and a signed newspaper clipping of dan celebrating iowa alum tim dwight's score in the super bowl.}
{our kitchen is nothing to write home about, but i do appreciate the giant island. there's always room for flowers and a giant bowl of fruits or veggies. the giant bowl pictured here is a gift from my friend jenny. the fabulous vase of flowers is a sweet 31st birthday gift from my mom. i can't get enough of chinese lanterns! that orange!

i purchased the little gourds and tiny potatoes this morning at trader joes. who knows how the potatoes taste, but damn, they're cute!!!}
{good-bye for now! coming soon... new pix of the bedrooms...}