leaving apartment seven

with a huge move on our horizon, i decided to take a few pictures of our little apartment. we have almost lived here for three years, and this apartment will always be special to me. it's where we first settled our belongings and made a home, where we came home after working long days, where we brought our sweet little girl home to, and where we made the decision to join staff with cru! we will be moving around for the next 6ish months, so that means almost everything we have will go into storage at the end of this month.

this apartment started out so big. i remember sleeping our first few nights on air mattresses, and thinking that we would never have enough stuff to fill a 2 bedroom apartment. over time we have collected so many fun things that our 'massive' apartment now seems teeny tiny. the thing i love most about apartment #7, is that it has taught me to be content with what we have. everything in our apartment has a story- and it's bittersweet to see this chapter close...

walking in, you can see the bunk bed ladder i painted and distressed to hold our quilts. all our quilts have either been made by ben's grandma and mom, or me. you also can see my grandparents tall bookshelf that my grandpa painted white, and has become distressed over the years. my collection of milkglass has grown over the years too. the milk bottle on the top of the shelf are from my great uncle's dairy farm.

the small, white table was purchased at a garage sale in anticipation of our move to the apartment. i painted and distressed it with a good friend in Branson (remember, Lauren?). the wire basket was purchased on our first sisters trip to Tulsa and began my love for wire baskets. the blue painted pot was my first auction win from a trip to Iowa to see my Mom.

this little nook separates the two bedrooms. this lamp was purchased at a goodwill in colorado before we moved to AR. the books were gifted from my sister, and the coral cabinet was a garage sale find that I painted and distressed.

just to the right, is this bookshelf ben made me in college. i love blue mason jars, and have collected a few over the years. our coffee table was a garage sale find, and the side chair was found and at a flea market outside of branson. the mirror was found a little boutique here in fayetteville, and has the best blue chippy paint. i'm not sure how much longer having a white couch will practically be, but for now we have enjoyed it.

next to our couch holds ruby kay's toys on a bookshelf painted and made from crates. toys seem to be overtaking our apartment! some of our favorite toys are from ikea (stacking blocks, car, and hammer/peg toy).

before we upgraded to a bigger tv, our old one fit in this cabinet, which was my favorite. i love hidden tvs. inside it now, is all of my sewing supplies. above it houses my little collection of globes, and my favorite rooster lamp that i won at an auction.

the plate wall above our dining table, has plates that our guests signed at our wedding, and also a few milk glass plates i won at an auction. we don't have a "highchair" for ruby kay, but this booster chair has worked out perfectly for our small kitchen space.

our plant shelves hold a lot of our wedding decorations, bushel baskets and crates.

i am so excited for our future, but have loved living at our little apartment. i know this photos will be appreciated in the years to come. i'll probably laugh at what i loved, but also feel sentimental for the "good ol' days"...