Liz's First Home!
About my busy weekend - Liz just closed on her first home! And it's just around the corner from us!
And because Jeremy and I are pretty much done with our major home remodeling we're going to start a new series for Liz.
Liz has been instrumental in bouncing ideas off of for our home remodel and she's put in quite a bit of sweat equity at our place too. So we will definitely be returning the favor, starting this weekend.
For fun us designers like to photoshop each other's houses. And here it is: 
Before photoshop fun.
After!
Includes darker trim, a red door, flowers, and an actual yard.
Anyways, I'm SO excited for her and can't wait to see what she does with the place.
Ampersand
It is still May, which means I am still raking in birthday presents from the beginning of the month. 
Jeremy's mom got me a gift card to Pottery Barn where I picked up this glossy red ampersand. I also got a rug (not yet photographed) on super clearance.
Thanks, Jeremy's mom!
The wine, courtesy of Liz, was enjoyed last night with friends on the back deck. Accompanied by grilled veggie and shrimp fajitas made by Jeremy.
Vitamin Kisses
from left to right: b12 complex, multi vitamin, fish oil, fish oil, glucosamine, c, ortho cyclen
In response to yesterday's post I got a question about what Jeremy and I eat. It was a little random, which I appreciate. Being an oversharer, I was happy to oblige with the details of my ovo-lacto pescatarian diet (that means I eat eggs, dairy and fish).
I appreciated the question because it's the kind of thing I want to know about people. The details. The little things nobody else sees. It's also probably why I love reality television and the "they're just like us!" section of tabloid magazines. I want to know what kind of toilet paper Paris Hilton is using. I care.
Aside from our other blog project, I want to start giving you glimpses into our daily life. The little things. 
click on image to view larger
I'm starting with the vitamins and pills we take on a daily basis. The information I can tell you about our lives from this photograph, from left to right, is: i once knew a girl whose face became partially paralyzed from a lack of b vitamns and it obviously freaked me out, general health is considered, omega 3 is important (jeremy started taking these a couple years ago, i joined the bandwagon recently) - it's supposed to do wonders for skin, our joints ache - it started with playing roller derby and now from running - this pill really works but you have to be consistent with it, you can never get enough vitamin c - especially when everyone else around you is sick, and the last one is our goalie - protects us from babies.
Notes of Our Travel
In the summer of 1923 Jeremy's great grandpa, his wife and their three boys took a road trip from Missouri to Florida in a Model T Ford.
Before there was blogging there was scrapbooking. They documented the trip with photos and journal entries. This weekend Jeremy's grandma shared it with me.
Notes of Our Travel 
This is a postcard from 1977 tucked away in the same scrapbook.
*Not noted: Jeremy's grandma was conceived on this road trip.
Oh, Michigan.
After our devastating honeymoon that ended with Jeremy having an appendectomy, we decided we needed a do-over.
So we were thinking Mexico or Florida... somewhere beachy.
But then we decided on Michigan. It's not so much a honeymoon because all of our closest friends will be there (and we just don't swing that way) but it's going to be a blast.
Liz's parents have built their retirement dream home on THE lake. Liz spends two weeks a summer up there and comes back with misty-eyed stories about how beautiful and fun it is. And she loves Michigan so much that she wants everyone else to love it too - so there's always been sort of an open invitation to go. And so we're going to go.
The view from their back yard.
From Liz:
May it be noted, that these images reflect the more scenic parts of the Michigan experience, and do not address the mass amounts of debauchery that also take place on a regular basis. For that kind of coverage, I would direct you to the social media website, Facebook. In most pictures of me from there, I am half-clothed. And no, not in a swim-suit-wearing way. And yes, my mother was D.D. that night.
And no, we did not decide to purchase that snowmobile after faux-test-driving it at 2am.
And for the last time... it's pronounced "SOUW-NAH."
Elizabeth
I can't wait.
Oh So Beautiful Paper
The invites I designed for Bianca are also featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper! - one of my FAVORITE design blogs.
Hop on over there and check out all the fantastic invites and paper goods.
Wedding Invitation: Vintage Seaside Picnic
After mine and Jeremy's wedding and invitation designs were featured on Glamour Blog Smitten and Cup of Joe I had a few people contact me about designing their own wedding invitations.
When bride-to-be (and fellow Okie), Bianca, found me through another blog she contacted me and gave me free reign to design her invites. The direction she gave me was "vintage seaside picnic" and "have fun!" 
And fun, I had. We decided on an invitation, RSVP and directions card. Her own dad is doing the calligraphy on the envelopes (isn't that sweet!?)
I wanted to get a beach look and feel across with the color palette and paper selection - Eames Furniture in white and pacific blue for the envelopes. 
Bianca loved (loved loved) the design and I love them too! She was a peach to work with and I wish her and her groom, Travis, the best!
If you are interested in your very own custom designed invitations (birthday, wedding, anniversary, etc) contact me at jeremyandkathleen(at)gmail(dot)com.
Summer time.
Last night Jeremy grilled up some portobello burgers and enjoyed a lovely evening out on the deck. 
Sipping on wine and strawberry beers we realized that we won't be spending the entire summer remodeling like we did this time last year. We can sit back and relax - enjoy the fruit of our labors. While summer is far from my favorite season, evenings spent grilling on the deck are unrivaled. 
Portobello marinated in balsamic vinegar, olive oil and worcester sauce, with tomato, fresh basil, grilled onions and goat cheese on an english muffin - accompanied with gaucamole and blue corn chips.
We're going to have a good summer with a lot to look forward to.
What's your favorite part of summer time? Any plans?
Veggie Gardening
This weekend, as Jeremy and I were shopping for a new door knob at Lowes we made a spontaneous decision to also buy veggies and containers. 
Zucchini squash and bell peppers
Normally, I would like to buy my plants from somewhere a little more local like the farmers market - or this local farm.
But like I said - it was a spontaneous purchase. 
Various tomatoes
We got two large metal bins and drilled holes in the bottom for drainage.
peppers
And a smaller container for our pepper plants.
We realized yesterday as we finished transplanting everything that the soil we used had a huge warning on the back of the bag saying "DO NOT USE FOR CONTAINERS" - oops. Hopefully our veggies aren't doomed before they even had a chance.
Next year I'm hoping to have a wild garden that looks a little more like this:
But for this year, a small container project will have to do.
Do you have experience with veggie gardening? Any advice?
A cupcake field trip.
I've had an inexplicably hard and overwhelming week which called for lunch and cupcakes with my girls. 
Introducing Sara Sara Cupcakes. 
Independently, each of us decided on strawberry. We're synched up like that.
And we exchanged inappropriate stories.
We enjoyed our strawberry cupcakes.
We admired the white on white (on white on white on white) decor.
And then we enjoyed the sun on the astroturf lawn (it looked so real y'all!) And just seconds later I had a sunburn.
Hello Sun, we meet again.
And that concludes our cupcake field trip.
Guest Blogging at Brooklyn Limestone
Check out my guest blog at Brooklyn Limestone!
The post talks about our kitchen remodel.
Find out why I threw up in my mouth a little bit and how much this project set us back.
For the love of Typography
Pretty much me and all of my friends are total nerds about Typography. Yes, really.
I got a new catalog in the mail from Emigre yesterday featuring Mrs Eaves - one of my (totally trendy) favorites. 
Mrs Eaves was named after Baskerville's live in housekeeper, whom he later married.
I was actually inspired by the layout of this spread. I love the cream and white with black and red type. I think I might even frame it.
House Inspiration
So, I'm feeling completely settled in our home. There's nothing that really needs to be done and we've gotten all of the big stuff out of the way. Sure the guest bedroom needs some work and the office could use some fine-tuning but for the most part just keeping the place tidy is enough for me.
But this morning as I was perusing Apartment Therapy I came across this home tour and felt overwhelmingly inspired.
Everything is clean and modern but still has warmth and personality. I also really like the approach to displaying art work and prints here.
I also came across the following image on a Design Sponge sneak peek.
I really want to create a photo montage with polaroids that is similar to this. Now that I have a new camera I need to capture some great shots. This will be my summer project that I will absolutely execute.
And from the same sneak peak a chalkboard fridge.
This is a cool way to update a fridge without having to spend the money for a new one. The bed and breakfast we stayed at in Taos had wallpapered fridges which was really neat. Our host told us to pick out a busy pattern so the inevitable wrinkles that happen when applying the wallpaper aren't too obvious.
Perfect Match
Jeremy took me to the post office to pick up one final gift for my birthday (my family likes to joke that my birthday lasts the entire month of May).
When the post office guy came back to the counter with a small package I noticed the return address was from Hong Kong so I knew it had to be something good. And it was. 
I found this perfect match necklace on Etsy forever ago and had since forgotten about it. Jeremy hadn't. What a sweet surprise!
Thank you, beebs.
Around OKC: Heritage Hills Remodel
I can get to work one of two ways: the highway - this takes me 6 minutes OR through the back neighborhoods - this takes me about 11 minutes. Sometimes I really need those extra 5 minutes to enjoy my morning coffee just a little longer but lately I've been sacrificing that so I can drive by this house.
It's in one of my favorite OKC neighborhoods - Heritage Hills. Heritage Hills is sandwiched by downtown and 23rd street (referred to by some as the ghetto - but I think it's far from). It's full of historic million dollar mansions - which in OKC is a lot of money.
Anyways, this house is currently being remodeled and it looks like it's being done the right way. For example, the windows are being replaced with wood replicates. Everything seems to be moving along slow and carefully. I'm excited to see the development and eventually the finished product.
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J & K started this blog project to document the remodel of their 1929 historical home in the heart of Oklahoma City. It has now turned into a documentation of life, food, fashion, freelance, inspiration, design, adventures and details around the J & K house.
Kathleen works as an award-winning brand consultant and designer specializing in small business branding at Braid Creative & Consulting. Jeremy is a software engineer and is the left-brain to Kathleen’s right.
You can contact Kathleen at
jeremyandkathleen (at) gmail (dot) com.
All photos and graphics by Kathleen unless otherwise stated. Feel free to use them with permission or credit.
Anatomy of an Outfit
Freelance Matters
Freelance Matters: A series about how I tackle freelance issues such as estimating, billing, to-do lists and how to fire a client.
Trekking to Everest
In October 2010 Jeremy and I trekked through the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. It completely changed my life. Read about the entire adventure, day-by-day, here.
My Business
Braid is a creative & consulting business I own with my sister. We do branding and business visioning for creative entrepreneurs. On the Braid blog I share branding adventures, how-to articles and advice on the creative process. If you need a little brand therapy of your own visit Braid or subscribe to the Braid blog RSS feed here.
What We Eat
We like to eat really good food - at least 3 times a day. Sometimes I blog about it - click here for recipes and yummy ideas.
Inspired By:
ME ELSEWHERE:
- Eva Black | Spaces
- Emma Dime
- Life as an Artistpreneur
- Jane Reaction
- Ink & Letters
- Meg Biram | The Edit
- Sarah Von Bargen's Small Biz Blog
- Design Crush
- The Equals Record
- Emmarie Designs
- Rory Gordon
- Yellow Brick Home
- The Creatives Project
- Silly Grrl
- Photographers Skeen
- The Clothes Make the Girl
- Bringing Design Home
- Pip & Estella
- A Practical Wedding
- Kind of a Sideshow
- Sandra Juto
- Old Sweet Song
- Rambling Renovators
- Brooklyn Bride
- Design Crush
- Experiment in Poverty
- The Jealous Curator
- Making it Lovely
- Dressing on the Side
- Kaboodle
- The Oklahoman
- Young House Love
- Oh So Beautiful Paper
- A Cup of Jo
- Brooklyn Limestone
- Glamour Weddings
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