Instagram is where it's at

 It takes me a while to embrace new things. Smartphones, scarves as accessories, layered rugs...instagram. 

But I've done it. 

Hi, my name's Blake, and I'm a former anonymous blogger telling you my name (it's so personal!) and hoping you'll still be interested in the goings on at the cape on the corner. Except there's no hiding behind the cape on the corner, it's going to be Blake. Because it's about time that Blake got gram. 

Literally, that's my insta name. Blakegotgram. 

Blogging turned into sales pitches. And felt like a chore. I just wanted to share snippets and snapshots of things that thrill and delight me with some occasional snark. Turns out, with my 1 day worth of knowledge, that is Instagram! 

And I felt inspired! And creative! And ideas came! And I felt excited about sharing in a way I hadn't for 5 freaking years on the blog. 

Travel, cats, decor, random musings...this shall exist again.

Blakegotgram....bc it feels about time that blake got gram. Hope you'll join me there.

Riviera Nayarit, Mexico

Man, I am having some major wanderlust and spring break vacation envy. Also, i'm ignoring the fact that it's like a year since i've blogged.

Even though i've got a mega trip coming up. 18 days in Austria, Germany, and Slovenia in the summer.

And even though we went to Cabo San Lucas this past September.

These photos are from last October, from the Riviera Nayarit, which is right outside of Puerta Vallarta.

I have come to the conclusion that two nice vacations a year are necessary, and that if one is adventurous and go go go (hello, Summer 2016) that the other one should be no planning, no forethought, one carry on suitcase beach vacation.

One expects fresh food on the beach, but does one expect pastries?? A little melted, but the people next to us were takers.

Fresh pineapple and beer, now that is beach living.

Just a man, making his living selling sunglasses and hats to touristas.

We stayed at a time share in Riviera Nayarit called Villa Del Palmar Flamingos. There was top notch entertainment, you would have thought you were on a cruise ship or something.

View of the Sierra Madres from our hotel.

.

Now this is the life.

It was recommended that we go to Sayulita, about an hour away. Yes, it was green and lush, but i also found it touristy and crowded with young people. College age people, who are looking to party, and that is not me now, nor was it me in college.

Colorful streets of Sayulita.

Puerta Vallarta tour in town.

Views from in the pools at Villa Del Palmar, Flamingos.

Two tiered pool, and beyond that, the beach.

In the pool, looking up at the accomodations. Just gorgeous. 

Mariachi band one night at the resort. So good.

Isn't this a cool planter? We took a tour of Puerta Vallarta that included a tequila distillery and lunch. That's where this log turned planter was.

The view of Los Arcos from the tequila distillery. Tequila itself ain't my cup of tea, however, tequila liqueur...well, that is something different. We left with a few bottles of delicious flavors, like chocolate, peanut butter, amaretto, and coffee, and advice to mix the chocolate and peanut butter for a Reese's Cup inspired shot. Well don't mind if i do!

The tasting area.

Those gorgeous views.

The tiny little shot glass tastings at Don Tadeo distillery. Highly recommended!

Have you ever been to Puerto Vallarta? Riviera Nayarit?

How bout Austria, Germany, or Slovenia, because i need tips and suggestions.We will be in Vienna for 3 nights, the Alps for a week with many a day trip (salt mines, ice caves, Hallstatt, Eagles Nest, Neuschwanstein Castle) Salzburg for two nights. I lined up a bicycle Sound of Music tour called Fraulein Maria!!  We bike to all the locations in the film, and i will most certainly recreate any scene i can think of and provide music. I wanted to go to a marionette show, but the show for the night is The Sound of Music. I thought that might be too much for the boyfriend. In Slovenia, we are going to Lake Bled and staying in Ljubljana for 2 nights. As i have an immense interest in the Holocaust we will be visiting Mauthausen on the way to an overnight in the Austrian wine region. Reislings galore, and other sweet whites, i can't wait! I can't wait to frolic in the Alps singing "The Hills are aliiiiiive!"

 You can find me all sorts of here: Molly, Coastal Charm, BNOTP, Keeping it Simple, DIY Showoff, Elizabeth & Co. , Stories A-Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, A Stroll Thru Life, Kim Six, Stone Gable, Domestically Speaking, Shanna, Blissful Bee, Savvy Southern Style, Handy Man, Houseologie, Charm of Home, No Minimalist Here,My Romantic Home, Somewhat Simple, Mustard Seed, Just us 4, Wetherills Say i Do, Shabby Nest, My Repurposed Life, Craftberry Bush, French Country Cottage, Chic on Shoestring, LollyJane, Overflowing, House by Hoff, shaken together, Garay Treasures  Thrifty Decor Chick, wanderlust weds, five on fridays, april go linky.

Modern Gray kitchen mock ups

Alright already. Let's look at some kitchen progress and some kitchen plans.

The sight lines were improved when this wall was partially removed, allowing for more light and more connection between all the spaces.

Hallelujah, can lights. Pot lights. Recessed lights. Whatever you wanna call them, we desperately needed them. It was so dark in here with the green walls and these cabinets, so we repainted the walls Sherwin Williams' Modern Gray. It's a very very subtle gray. Also, scrolly piece above sink is gone!

It's the small things.

Added a light switch at the back door and removed it from right above the table.

Love seeing the front door from here, when before it was completely closed off.

We got a quote from the cabinet maker for a trashcan cabinet, to be added where the current trashcan is. This would extend the countertop and be great prep space, as we are also losing the toaster oven.

Guess how much one cabinet would be.

You'll never guess.

$2500 bucks. Say whaaaattt?!!

To hold a trash can???  No. N.O.

Apparently, these are really good cabinets (which we knew, it's why we aren't replacing them) but we didn't know they were that fancypants.

To get our cabinets in today's market would cost, according to the cabinet company (who referred to the cabinets as "furniture") a whopping $40,000.

USB outlets, my one request, and the relocated light switches. This wall will be topped with the same counter tops as the rest of the space.

You can see the unevenness in the floor here between the kitchen and the vestibule.

BTW, is a vestibule still a vestibule if it's not a separate space anymore???

You can also, apparently, see Giraffe, Lily's favorite toy.

I can't deal with this blog spacing, I hope it isn't deterring you from reading. It's deterring me from blogging, I can tell you that. Don't know how to fix it.

Realistic renditions of outcome.  I told the boyfriend before we ordered appliances (namely, the range hood) that i needed to see it in the space. He whipped these bad boys up, but i told him this wasn't realistic. But oh, how I wish it was. I wish we had square cabinet doors on top and bottom, not arches on the top. So he swapped out the squares so i could get the correct feel...and it'll do Donkey, it'll do.

It was either the range hood above or this one. I feel like this one, with the arches, reads as country or traditional, and i'm not going to let those arches tell me what to do.

I will not pander to the arches!

We also liked the idea that you'd see more backsplash with the hood above. Notice the extended space to the left of the stove, where the trashcan cabinet would be (that he will likely make, as we are not spending $2500). Ain't nobody got time for that.

The flooring and the appliances are all ready to go. Can't wait for more!

What's your favorite thing about your kitchen?

You can find me all sorts of here: Molly, Coastal Charm, BNOTP, Keeping it Simple, DIY Showoff, Elizabeth & Co. , Stories A-Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, A Stroll Thru Life, Kim Six, Stone Gable, Domestically Speaking, Shanna, Blissful Bee, Savvy Southern Style, Handy Man, Houseologie, Charm of Home, No Minimalist Here,My Romantic Home, Somewhat Simple, Mustard Seed, Just us 4, Wetherills Say i Do, Shabby Nest, My Repurposed Life, Craftberry Bush, French Country Cottage, Chic on Shoestring, LollyJane, Overflowing, House by Hoff, shaken together, Garay Treasures  Thrifty Decor Chick

Montmartre-top 3

So it's been quite a while since my trip to France, and there's still a lot to share.

You may remember i had a top three for Paris. Number 1 was seeing the Eiffel Tower in its full glory, and waiting til nighttime to see it shimmer. Number 2 was climbing to the top of Notre Dame and taking awesome pictures amongst the gargoyles. Number 3 is Montmarte, a hilltop district accessible via a funicular ride which drops you at the base of Sacre Coeur. If you've ever watched Amelie, this is where the movie takes place.



Rick Steve's recommended restaurant, and my own personal fondue. French fondue people!

The artist square, with people selling art work of the city and caricatures. I almost bought one that showed 2 cats gazing at the Eiffel Tower, but i was holding off for something else.

Is this not the sweetest street? This is the very reason i loved it here, it was very quaint and authentic, once you ventured past the souvenir shops on the way up and actually walked around past Sacre Coeur, which you can see peeking out above the homes.

The restaurant where so many scenes from Amelie take place.


The tiniest little creperie, just that little stall.

 

 

Montmartre's roots in art still linger, like this neat sculpture that shows a man emerging from a wall.

Ah, the Moulin Rouge. At the base of the district, after returning down from the hilltop, it gets a little seedy. And this is where the Moulin Rouge is.

This picture taken from Notre Dame shows how much higher Montmartre is from the rest of Paris, and location relative to the city center. Even though it seemed far out, this also proved to me how large and how small Paris is.

Have you ever been to Montmartre? On a side note, i visited a fashion blog thru a link party b/c the blogger was standing in the middle of a curved street, and i thought i bet that's Montmartre. It was! Am i good or what?!

You can find me all sorts of here: Molly, Coastal Charm, BNOTP, Keeping it Simple, DIY Showoff, Elizabeth & Co. , Stories A-Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, A Stroll Thru Life, Kim Six, Stone Gable, Domestically Speaking, Shanna, Blissful Bee, Savvy Southern Style, Handy Man, Houseologie, Charm of Home, No Minimalist Here, My Romantic Home, Somewhat Simple, Mustard Seed, Just us 4, Wetherills Say i Do, Shabby Nest, My Repurposed Life, Craftberry Bush, French Country Cottage, Chic on Shoestring, LollyJane, Overflowing, House by Hoff, shaken together, Garay Treasures  Thrifty Decor Chick

My living room corner is having a moment

Oh man, i fully realize this is a million of practically the same exact photo.

Usually i get really exasperated by people who post a million photos of the same thing.

Like, here's my decorated tray. here's my decorated tray zoomed in. here's my decorated tray zoomed in but focused on one specific item with everything else blurry. here's my tray, on my ottoman, but still. the tray. here it is. but maybe with an overall room, instead of one item, it warrants a million photos. maybe.

You may have noticed the blue wall is no longer. When we removed part of the wall for the kitchen reno, it obviously affected this wall, and since there was spackling and repairing on both this and the half moon table wall, we repainted. Did i want to repaint all 4 walls so there was no more tan living here, sure, sure. but my pro wouldn't do that. So this is second best.

 

I'm not 100% sure about the artwork situation, if it needs one more piece or not. If you are just looking at the wall then i say yes, but when you take in the opening to the kitchen, i say no.

This is reading as boring. It's not in person. Grr.

Corner moment!

With or without? (I feel like i'm ordering cheesesteaks in the city.) I see the merits of both sides of this argument, but i like without.  Without speaks to less clutter, doesn't stop your eye the way another art piece does, allows the corner to be a whole moment. Zooms right past wall into kitchen.

 Less zooming, more wall focusing. More visual clutter.

The wall is not that orangey. Grr again.

Gone are the baby blue accent wall days. Hello neutrals, i'm relieved to see you. Also, yeah green thumb!

Paint Color-Rawlings, Finneran Hailey matched to Benjamin Moore
Artwork-Minted via Domestically Speaking. Thanks MaryAnn!
Stripe pillow cover-Ikea
Blue ottoman-Amazon
Rug-RugsUSA
Arc Lamp-Home Depot
Gorgeous cats-Rescues.

You can find me all sorts of here: Molly, Coastal Charm, BNOTP, Keeping it Simple, DIY Showoff, Elizabeth & Co. , Stories A-Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, A Stroll Thru Life, Kim Six, Stone Gable, Domestically Speaking, Shanna, Blissful Bee, Savvy Southern Style, Handy Man, Houseologie, Charm of Home, No Minimalist Here, My Romantic Home, Somewhat Simple, Mustard Seed, Just us 4, Wetherills Say i Do, Shabby Nest, My Repurposed Life, Craftberry Bush, French Country Cottage, Chic on Shoestring, LollyJane, Overflowing, House by Hoff