Author Archives: bulbtoblossom

Old Home Love // Elizabeth, NJ

I found a memory card from last summer’s trip to New Jersey.  I had a good time while I was home.  I went to the beach, hung out by the pool, and ate funnel cake on the boardwalk.  I also took a joyride with my brother and sister through our old neighborhood of Elmora Hills.  A section of Elizabeth, NJ.  It’s where my three siblings and I were all born and spent our early years.  I think growing up here had a lot to do with my love for older homes.  I was so lucky to be surrounded by such beauty.  When I think about my time there, my mind is flooded with some of the happiest memories of my life.  I cherish those moments, and I enjoy driving through every now and again.  I guess I’m just nostalgic like that!

I love to observe all the detail, age, and character each of these homes exhibits.  Think about all the stories they could tell.  I just snapped a few pictures as we drove around, I hope you enjoy!

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This one was ours…house-9

I look forward to the day I can show my children the hill that Aunt Lisa and mommy used to sled down… in the summer.  Yeah, we did that.

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Our New Home

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Welcome to our home!  We just recently moved into our very own midcentury nugget in North/Central Phoenix.  When we started house-hunting, I was very clear on a few things.  I needed trees and grass, the house needed to be at least pre-1970, and the property needed to be bigger than the usual 6,000 sq. ft. lot.  To be honest, my list was a whole lot longer than that, but my ideal home doesn’t really exist out here in the desert.  All in all, we couldn’t be happier with our house, because we can make our own.  I’m so glad we stumbled upon this older section of the city.  It has that real neighborhood feel we couldn’t find in Scottsdale.  Sure, our house is completely dated, but our neighborhood is beautiful and quiet and our house sits on just over a half acre.  That’s usually hard to find out here.  We have grass, kind of, and one million trees.  Currently, I am in the middle of purging our furniture and junk that we no longer want, so I haven’t started decorating yet.  But I took some pictures of the interior and the details that make this place special.

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This is our bean-shaped pool.pool

This is our fig tree.  She needs a hair cut.fig-tree

This is our brick, vomiting.brickoleanderfence

We have not one, but two of these bad boys on our roof.antennaeoutdoor-lightpalm

Here are some shots of the inside.  I love the windows, but I think we’ll have to replace them.living-roomfront-roombedroomhallliving-room-2

We even have the original blue prints.  Getting those framed is on the to do list!bp1bp2bp3

But the best part of all –  this guy has a huge yard where he can run around and chase birdies all day long.shell

Our new home needs a lot of love and I’m so excited to show you the things we do.

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Fashion Friday // Coral Pants

Every Friday I will be posting my weekly outfit look, and today is the first one!  I’m a girly girl and I love getting dressed up, but I don’t really do it often enough.  So I have joined forces with my friend Uyen, from Crew and Lu, to come up with fun looks from our closets and get us inspired to have more fun with our wardrobes.  You can click the link at the end of the post to see Uyen’s LookBook outfit of the week!

Today, I went with coral pants and a linen striped top.  I’m not typically comfortable in reds, but these coral pants are amazing!  I’m a huge fan of the JCrew “Minnie” pants.  I have them in many colors as they are the perfect length for my three-inch legs.  I paired the look with gold-toned accessories and the perfect taupe pump.

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- Photos by:  Uyen Carlson

Pants and top:  JCrew, Shoes:  Charles Jourdan, Belt:  Anthropologie, Bag:  Gucci, Jewelry:  Vintage.

 

Check out Uyen’s LookBook by clicking the photo below, let us know what you think!

CREW AND LU BANNER

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Jewelry I Made Last Semester

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This past spring I was enrolled in a jewelry making and metals course at ASU.  I had to jump through a few hoops and get special permission to take it, but it was well worth the trouble.  I’ve taken random classes throughout my time living in different places.  I learned how to make a hand-cut dovetail joint in Minneapolis, MN and how to mill lumber in Jamaica Plain, MA.  I always love learning a new craft, but I have to admit, metals was one of the most intimidating for me.  This learning experience came with quite a bit of frustration, but when I finally mastered a skill, I felt so accomplished and satisfied.  I walked away from the class with an “A”, three credits, and the following skills:

  • piercing
  • filing, sanding, finishing
  • drilling
  • annealing
  • forming
  • cold-connecting:  riveting
  • soldering
  • hollow-forming
  • acid etching
  • stone setting
  • patina

Here are the first three “real” pieces of jewelry I ever made:

CUFF BRACELET

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Copper caterpillar with a brass flower and sterling silver rivets.

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“JERSEY GIRL” BELT BUCKLE

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I guess it’s pretty obnoxious, but I love it.  Especially the silver riveting detail.  This one took many, many hours.

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HOLLOW FORM CUPCAKE RING

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I am a cupcake fanatic!  This was inspired by my appetite.  This piece was the most challenging.  There were many failed attempts at soldering this closed.

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All in all, I am proud of what I accomplished, even though these pieces are a bit outrageous.  This course has introduced me to a life-long hobby and business venture.  I will be opening an online shop in November 2013.  The link is on my home page.  Be sure to check back for more news and sample sales in the coming months!

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Blog Relaunch

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Welcome to the new and improved Bulb to Blossom!  I am so thrilled to be able to finally say that.

When I started my blog last May, I really couldn’t have anticipated how time consuming it would be.  I spent so much time planning and doing, and putting tremendous pressure on myself.  I felt more panicked and stressed than happy.  And the whole point of the blog was to do something that made me happy.  Well, I’m proud to say I’ve learned so much since then.  Mainly, I’ve learned from my own mistakes, but also from the amazing people I’ve met.

In the past ten months, I’ve been up to a whole lot of life-changing activities.  Last fall I went back to school to earn my degree in Design Studies.  I’m the old kid at school, and in just three more semesters I can call myself an ASU graduate!  Go Sun Devils!  Wayne and I bought a house in North/Central Phoenix and we couldn’t be more excited.  I’ve involved myself in the enormous blog community out here.  There are so many bloggers and blogging conferences, it’s just crazy… and I love it!  I’ve met some truly uplifting people and learned from some of the best.  Most importantly, I’ve taken on challenges I never thought I’d be able to accomplish, and I did.  I haven’t seen my comfort zone in a while and I’ve never felt more capable in my life.  I’m also very happy to announce, that after almost two years in Arizona, I’ve finally gotten the hang of pumping gas!  Woohoo!

So, I feel great!  I’m so happy to start this up again and see what opportunities it will bring.  The great thing about going back to school seven years late is that I’m learning things I would never have.  That being said, I’m taking my skills and opening a small online jewelry shop in November 2013.  I love to make things, and it’s really all I think about.  Life is way too short to care about what people think or to not do the things you want to do.  So I vote to follow my dreams, as generic as that may sound.  Wish me luck!

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