How to Make an Apartment Feel Like Home

We have moved five times in the last four years but its so important to me to make the current space I'm living in feel like home. Here are some simple ways that I make my space feel homey!

1. Choose only few pieces to hang on the walls
2. Find furniture that you love and keep only those
3. Give everything a place
4. Buy yourself flowers or something that feels homey
5. Keep it tidy

I go into way more detail in my video! Watch it and let me know what you think!

My Reusable Coffee Cup

I absolutely love going to coffee shops… you probably already knew that. One of my favorite experiences is exploring a new city with coffee in my hand.

I have been trying to remember to take my reusable coffee cup with me whenever I go out because I don’t want to waste the coffee cups that shops provide especially because I go to so many coffee shops. I think it is finally a habit for me and here is what helped me get started!

Find your perfect coffee cup

It’s kind of nice to have my own special coffee cup to drink out of when I go out. I have actually found that I enjoy drinking coffee out of my favorite coffee cup much more than a disposable one.

I love small coffee cups. I found my perfect coffee cup at Intelligentsia in LA. I wanted a coffee cup that was small but also was from one of my favorite shops of all time. I took some time to research my coffee cup to make sure that this would be the cup that I would want to take everywhere with me so I could avoid using disposable cups. Once I got this cup in the mail I immediately fell in love with the size and it’s so easy to tuck into my backpack or purse. I ended up being gifted a second one which is perfect because now Jared and I have matching little coffee cups. The only downside I would say is that this cup doesn’t seal at the top, other than that this cup is perfect for me!

Get used to taking it with you

Before I leave the house each day I try to think through my plans and if I will be needing my coffee cup (most days the answer is YES). I have gotten used packing it in my purse or backpack every day so its really doesn’t bother me or weigh it down. I would recommend getting a small coffee cup so its easy to take places. I really don’t drink more than one cup a day so using a tiny cup doesn’t bother me at all.

When I go on trips I typically try to take my coffee cup with me because I know that I will be drinking coffee out even more than normal. It’s nice to have a little piece of home that goes with me everywhere.

It saves money

Most coffee shops knock anywhere from ten cents to a dollar off your drink with you bring your own cup. If you think about it, it adds up to quite a bit over time and it totally worth it!

A Simplified Wardrobe

The main reason I enjoy a simplified wardrobe is because I get to wear my favorite clothes every day. I don’t count the number of shoes that I have or limit myself to own a certain amount of tops. I simply just keep items of clothes in my wardrobe that I love. My fashion & style has completely changed since I started simplifying my wardrobe and it has been a very rewarding journey. Here are some of the main benefits I have noticed so far!

I finally found my style

I was pretty lost with my style until I started simplifying my wardrobe. I would buy item’s just because I thought they looked nice and were “stylish” without really knowing what that meant for me. I would end up dissatisfied with my purchase because I’d change my mind or couldn’t find other items in my wardrobe to complete the outfit. Because I own less now, I have put in so much more thought into what styles I like and why. When I am looking for a new piece of clothing to buy it is so much simpler and less stressful now because I know what styles and colors I like. I have found a color palette that I like and almost everything I own goes together.

It’s so easy to figure out what to wear

I love getting ready in the morning. I am no longer stressed or sad when it comes to fancy events feeling like I don’t have anything to wear. I know exactly what I have in my closet and everything that goes together. Currently, I have chosen a very neutral color palette and usually I choose once accent color for each season. At the moment it is mustard yellow, can you tell? Having a closet with only items I love that all fit into a color palette makes me so happy. When I open my closet everyday I feel at peace instead of being stressed out. Just that feeling of peace alone makes it worth it to simplify.

I purchase higher quality items

I find that the less items I have the easier it is to choose items that I will wear all the time. For example, I only have three jackets. I spent about a year and a half searching for the perfect peacoat for my shape and preferences. I wanted a longer peacoat that was black, soft and wouldn’t pill or collect hair easily. I tried at least fifty coats on and none of them were quite right. Finally a discovered a line called Fluerette that make peacoats with a mixture of wool and cashmere. I tried some on and immediately knew I found my perfect peacoat. Unfortunately the peacoat was more than a thousand dollars and I knew that wasn't going to be in my price range any time soon. I decided to take a look on eBay and found a brand new Fluerette Peacoat that was my size for a quarter of the retail price. I ordered it and it truly has been my perfect peacoat. I wear it pretty much every day from November to May and it keeps me warm in freezing temperatures. Purchases like that are so worth the wait and research. I’d much rather have one coat that I absolutely love than five that I’m just ok with.

I enjoy doing laundry

I LOVE folding my laundry! We currently live in an apartment without a washer & dryer so we have to put some strategy in on the timing & frequency we do laundry. We usually do one load a week on the weekend. Jared’s job is to go do the laundry and my job is to fold and put everything away. Marie Kondo’s book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up has really changed the experience of folding and the how I fold my clothes. When I fold my clothes I am more careful because I love each item and want it to last longer. Folding doesn’t take me longer that 20-30 minutes because there really isn’t that much to fold. I also find it relaxing and rewarding when all of my clothes are neatly folded and put away in my drawers.

Do you want to simplify?

Are you trying to simplify your wardrobe? Let me know in the comments below how your journey is going or if you have any questions!

My Minimalist Kitchen

I have loved having a super simple kitchen for the last few years. I have gotten rid of so many kitchen gadgets that I don’t need and I never have any problem with storage space in the tiny kitchens I have had. As you probably already know, I love to cook so having the right equipment is extremely important to me so that I can cook the things that I want. I made a few key changes that has made is easy to keep my kitchen uncluttered.

Keep only enough dish sets out for two (or how many people live in your home)

Jared was actually the one with this idea. One day I came home from work and he had hidden all of the dished & utensils except for two sets. I wasn't very happy at the time but I decided to give it a try and ended up liking how easy it was to just wash the dishes that we used daily instead of having a pile up of dishes because we had procrastinated on cleaning & putting away. We store our extra dishes in separate cupboard. It’s so easy to just pull out the extra dishes when we have people over.

Don’t use your dishwasher

If you think about the time it takes to rinse off your dishes, load them into the dishwasher and then empty out the dishwasher it seems like it would take the same amount of time if not less to just wash the dishes and put them away. Especially if you only have two sets of dishes to clean. I know of large families who don’t use a dishwasher and love it. Here’s an example of one!

Keep your spices & flours simple

Mason jars have really changed my life is this area. I use the large half gallon mason jars for my flours and smaller ones for other kitchen staples that I need less of. Although I have a lot of flour's & spices I can see exactly what I have in my cupboard and what i’m out of. I use this label maker for my mason jars and other household things.

Get rid of gadgets you don’t use often

This one can be difficult because there is always the thought that I might need “this gadget” in the future. The rule I try to go by is called the 20/20 rule. If there is an item I don’t regularly use that is less than 20 dollars that could be replaced in less than 20 minutes by going to the store then i get rid of it. I think of it as me paying the stores to stock those items so I dont have to clutter up my kitchen. Most of the time you’ll find that you really didn’t need that item anyway. I have gotten rid of gadgets in the past and ended up repurchasing them but there are way more things that I have gotten rid of and never needed again.

Natural Cleaning Spray

I’ve been on a cleaning spree for the past couple days! Once I get in cleaning mode, it’s hard to stop. I have been wanting to make my own cleaning products for a while now and finally got the chance to yesterday! Here is what I used:

2 T castile soap
12-17 drops of essential oils
2 cups of water

Directions: Pour all ingredients into glass bottle. Shake the sealed bottle to mix the ingredients.

I used a mixture of essential oils for this spray. I did lavender, eucalyptus and lemongrass. It seriously smells so good!

Succulent Frame

My friend and I made this succulent frame a little over a year ago. First of all, everything in the frame is fake! I have seen frames like this with real succulents, they look awesome but I think it would be a pain to water and keep alive.

Quick Tutorial:

Head to Hobby Lobby, they had everything I needed to make this frame. Make sure to get lots of succulents, moss, some spray adhesive and a hot glue gun. I found this frame on sale because the art inside had been damaged, just make sure there is a surface where you can put your adhesive. Spray the adhesive all over the frame and quickly add a light layer of moss to cover up the background surface. Arrange your succulents how you want and then hot glue them so they are completely stable. If you have any heavy succulents you can use some floral wire for extra stability (thats what I used for the biggest air plant on top). Fill in any holes with your leftover moss, using the spray adhesive or hot glue to secure it.

This frame makes my small living space look brighter and has held up pretty well over time. Pieces have fallen off before of i just quickly glue it back on, it doesn't take much time.