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Stunted.

Lately – and maybe you all may have noticed? – we’ve been feeling… stunted.

Stunted, because there’s so much we want to do, but we know it doesn’t make sense to do. Our home has been tweaked and fluffed and re-painted more times than we can count, and we have (mostly) loved every phase of every room. Because as we grow and change, so does our home. As you can imagine, this whole we-might-be-buying-a-house-and-everything-will-be-changing-again thing has got us feeling in limbo. (A happy limbo, but limbo nonetheless!)

We’re taking this in-between time to focus on finding inspiration – and then promptly filing it away. We’re spending extra hours in the office (him) and studio (me), and we’re laying on the couch much more on the weekends. While we’ve been crazy productive in ways that aren’t very home related much at all, we’ve been missing our usual DIYs and umpteenth living room re-fluff.

We’ve been stunted.

There are a handful of projects that we’ve discussed tackling around here, but why would we do it? Soon, our environment could change (well, here’s hoping those contracts lead to something, right?), and what makes sense now could easily seem like a why did we do that? moment later. Oh, home, shall we list the ways?

ONE. Our coffee table. It’s the just-right size for our living room, coming in at 32″ round. (Believe it or not, that was a pretty hard size to find!) We picked it up on Craigslist years ago, and while it’s served us well, it’s been showing its age. It’s full of nicks, and ha! Joke’s on you – it’s not even real wood. I’ve often fantasized about transforming it into an over-sized ottoman for use in a cozy nook or a larger studio. This makes no sense right this minute (what color fabric? Should we tuft it or not?), but a girl can dream, yes?

TWO. The art. Aah, the art! We have tubes upon tubes of art stored above our kitchen cabinets; so much art, actually, that we don’t even remember what we have! Is this a problem (or a sign of hoarding)? Maybe. But even with our current limited wall space, we can’t bear to part with our (hidden) collection. Fingers crossed for more wall space in a future home.

THREE. Our $5 yard sale pendant. Not that long ago, I asked Scott if he’d be into painting the matte black inside of our pendant gold – and he enthusiastically agreed (what have I don’t to him?). Then I remembered this pin from ages ago, and paired with a neon lamp cord – well, yowza! But until we know where this guy might end up living – and because we love it in its current chrome-y goodness – this doesn’t make much sense right now either. Womp-womp.

All feelings of being stumped aside, I am going to attempt to tap into my crafty side over the weekend, just to keep these hands busy. While we can’t exactly start picking out the perfect fabric for an ottoman or start changing the finish on a pendant, we can tackle non-room-changers. And since Jack ate his bed for the third time, I’m thinking I know what’s next (but with a twist – insert evil laugh here)!

Some of you must fill this limbo, too, right? At the very least, as the seasons turn, we’re all feeling a bit fidgety, no?

Ottoman images via Decor Pad and Etsy, gallery wall via Decoratica, and bronze light fixtures via Desire to Inspire.

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  • Jimmy4.5.13 - 8:50 AM

    Total bummer of a feeling. I know it all too well. You make a good point about not even wanting to build things that you’ll take with you, lest they turn out to be the wrong things for the next place.

    One thing I find helpful during times like these (and this is usually easier said than done): Purge. Get rid of stuff you haven’t wanted or used in ages, stuff you know you won’t be bringing with you once you find the next “one.” Start making (literal) space in your life for all the things to come. It feels amazing to de-clutter and cut back, and it will make the eventual move even easier.

    Also, it’s seed germinating/sprouting time inside on windowsills across the mid-Atlantic, and I’d guess you guys aren’t far behind on that. Since you’ll be just growing a bunch of plugs to be transplanted later, you don’t have to decide on the right planter just yet. How nice would it be to have a ton of plugs ready to plant when you eventually show up at the new place?ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.5.13 - 9:10 AM

      Jimmy, you’ve nailed it. PURGE! We really should be taking the time to do this now. It’s actually one of my favorite things to do…ReplyCancel

  • Laura4.5.13 - 9:36 AM

    You COULD take this time to simply relax and enjoy the beautiful home that you’ve put so much hard work into! :-)ReplyCancel

  • Kim4.5.13 - 11:20 AM

    Laura, this is true!ReplyCancel

  • Alexis4.5.13 - 11:26 AM

    I love all your project ideas. I always develop a bit of ennui when it comes to sewing projects, especially if they’re time consuming and not that fun. This post inspired me to write up projects to finish this weekend, 5 in total.
    Happy making!ReplyCancel

  • Kim4.5.13 - 11:34 AM

    Alexis, wow! Happy making to YOU!ReplyCancel

  • Helen4.5.13 - 11:56 AM

    humm, does the coffee table have the weight capacity as an ottoman? I know I always sit on an ottoman.. just wonderingReplyCancel

  • Helena4.5.13 - 12:00 PM

    Oy! We have been searching for a coffee table that size so I feel your pain! Round ones just don’t exist or are super tall or huge or heinous. It’s been a long, slow battle.ReplyCancel

  • SO been there! Buying a house is tough, isn’t it? When we were waiting to close on the firehouse we completely avoided one of our favorite pastimes: walking around antique malls. We REALLY didn’t want to move anything else and there were just too many questions: what do we need, where will we put decorative objects, and considering all the construction, when will we even be able to decorate?

    It was very frustrating to sit and wait. “Stunted” is a great way to put it. My best suggestion is to try and enjoy the downtime before your whole life gets turned upside down. And if you are moving neighborhoods, enjoy the pieces you live in your current one. Before long your favorite restaurant may not be a stroll away.ReplyCancel

  • Kim4.5.13 - 12:11 PM

    Helen, good point. I’ll definitely have to consider that if we move forward with the ottoman!

    Helena, we ultimately found ours on Craigslist, but it seemed like the impossible task. All we found in stores was LARGE round coffee tables! We feel your pain.ReplyCancel

  • Kim4.5.13 - 12:13 PM

    Heather, yup, you must know EXACTLY what it feels like. We’ve been avoiding yard sales and vintages sales like crazy – which is SO hard! But we do give in every now and then…

    One of the pluses of this home (again, fingers crossed!), is that it’s in our same neighborhood. The ‘hood that we love SO, SO much.ReplyCancel

  • Trude4.5.13 - 3:29 PM

    I so feel you on the waiting game. It’s so hard to sit on your hands and wait until you’re finally in a new space so you can see just what it needs. And even once you know where you’re moving, you have to be in there a bit to really see what will work best for the space and your needs! Sucks big ones, but I’m sure it’ll be worth the results. But I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind a new spot to destroy in the meantime. ;)ReplyCancel

  • Kim4.5.13 - 5:44 PM

    Trude, you had me laughing at the Jack part :)ReplyCancel

  • Staci @ My Friend Staci4.7.13 - 3:42 PM

    I am with you! Living in a boring no-personality apartment for the indefinite future is frustrating! Do I want to move into a cooler place with more personality when our lease is up? Or stay put and just work as hard as I can to save up a down payment so we can really have our OWN space! Coming from two rentals were we pretty much had free reign, our hands are tied (the apt is owned by a corporation and not an individual) and it’s taken some getting used to!

    There’s no hurt in doing some tweaking here and there with what you already have, if you get bored, though. :)ReplyCancel

  • tish4.10.13 - 6:22 PM

    try a kuranda bed for the dog. We have one and it works great.
    http://kuranda.com/ReplyCancel

  • Kim4.11.13 - 8:28 AM

    Tish, that bed is pretty cool!ReplyCancel

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