Summer Updates Around Our Home

Today I'm taking you inside our apartment for a little summer update tour. It's not much, as our apartment is small, but it's something! 

First, I added a Magnolia wreath to the front door. I've been looking for one for FOREVER (I tried homegoods, target, hobby lobby every time I was in the store and nothing! There was no way I was dropping close to $100 for the Magnolia Market wreath ;) so I was thrilled when I finally found Graced Designs. Malia makes the most beautiful wreaths. I tell you, these leaves look SO real! All I did to finish it off was find some gingham ribbon to tie it up with. To hang it, I stuck a Command strip on the door, then tied the ribbon around the wreath and knotted it. Then I looped the knot around the command strip. Finally, I tied a bow around the knot to complete the look. You can see what I mean in the picture below.

That's our little entry porch! I think the wreath was just thing I needed to give it some personality. We have a neighbor who changes our her door decor ever month, so I felt like I had to do SOMETHING haha! 

Moving inside, I restyled our bookcase. Mostly because Lincoln was biting the things on the bottom of the shelf so we needed a new solution. The things on the bottom shelf happened to be my husband's records, which are the most precious things to him. There was no way we could let the pup bite those! So I found a basket large enough to house the records, with room to spare, and put them in there. Now Lincoln just goes after the basket, which is better ;)

When I style my bookcase, I always think of things in 3's or in odd numbers. For example, the middle shelf has 3 vignettes. The green vases and the succulent, the stack of books and the birdcage, and the candle sticks and third candle. (Ignore our Nest Thermostat, which my husband insisted in installing when we moved in...what can I say? He's an engineer...) The bottom shelf is okay to have one thing, because it's substantial enough to hold its own and ground the rest of the bookshelf. If it was a small basket, just one of them wouldn't work and I would suggest getting two.

Just a peek at the other side of the apartment, the living room, which you might have seen in last week's post.

Hopefully this gives you a feeling of how the room is set up:

Yep, he's biting the actual shelf now. Thankfully I got some bitter apple spray and now the biting all the things is getting a lot better!

I just love this candle I picked up from Petite Petal Company last time I was in California. Not only does it smell so good, but the lid is gorgeous.

This frame was my souvenir from the last trip I took to Magnolia Market. Taking into account that it's marble, I was surprised at how affordable it was! It came with this line drawing in it. I don't think it was meant to stay in the frame, but I love it.

A peek at our pretty new pillows!

If you're a dog parent and don't want to sacrifice style for the practical needs of your dog, then you might like these next few pictures. That was me for sure! My husband could care less what dog bowls looked like, but I didn't want something that was an eye sore (I'm crazy, I know!) so I was overly excited when I found these ceramic dog bowls with the bone shape on the front. They're just so cute! I could choose either silver or gold writing, and I went with gold because we have some other gold touches in our apartment. We tried the bowls without a mat for a few days, but turns out a puppy who loves water + a puppy with a beard (seriously) doesn't mix well. I pulled out a pretty placemat my grandma made us for our wedding and we're using that. Lincoln sure loves his bowls (better than the little bowl from my cupboard we were using for the first week ha!)

See...we tried with no mat here...

 Aren't they adorable?! You can personalize the labels with your pet's name or a paw print, but we went with Food and Water.

Alright, I'm done. One last picture of him for good measure. I swear this blog won't become a dog blog ;)

Have you made any updates to your home for summer? Tag me on Instagram @michaelanoelledesigns and I'd love to see!

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo

Michaela

** a few of these items were c/o the shop owners. All opinions are my own & 100% honest. We only work with companies we love! Thanks for supporting companies MND believes in!

Meet Lincoln, our Australian Labradoodle!

Happy Monday, friends! We had a pretty exciting weekend over here, as we picked up the new addition to our little family. You may have already met him over on instagram, but I just had to show you some of my favorite pictures of Lincoln from the past few days. I'm also answering a few questions I've gotten a lot since getting him!

What type of dog is he?

He's an Australian Labradoodle, which is made up of a soft wheaten terrier, lab, poodle and cocker spaniel. This breed was originally started in Australia, hence the name, and were created to breed a non-shedding therapy dog. That's why they have such an adaptable, low-key personality! 

Does he shed?
NOPE! One of the reasons we love this breed so much is because of this very fact! Especially in a small apartment, we couldn't have a dog shedding all over the place!

How big will he get?
He's a medium size labradoodle, so about 30-35lbs. The perfect size for this stage in our life, I think!

His ADORABLE copper name tag is by Jenna Scifres on Etsy!

Hiding out in his bed ;)

Where'd you get Lincoln and how'd you find the breeder? 

A few Saturday's ago I was at a parade in downtown Rockford, MI with a friend. Two adorable puppies and their owners walked by us and I thought to myself that I needed to pet them, but it was so crowded, I couldn't get to them in time. 30 minutes later, they came walking by us again and this time I made sure to get to them! (If you know me, you know I am obsessed with dogs and can't NOT pet them!) Upon meting them I asked the owners 1. what type of dogs these were and 2. where did they get them?! They proceeded to tell me they were breeders! I couldn't believe it. They were the nicest people ever and I could already tell they cared for their dogs SO well. So the next night, after exchanging numbers, we went to visit their home and meet the puppies. At the time they were 6 weeks old and they had 4 boys available. It didn't take much convincing of my husband, as he was pretty in love as soon as he held them!

Our breeders are Bainbridge Labradoodles in Rockford, MI (but Janet will fly a dog anywhere in the US). They're awesome and will be expecting a fall litter if you want to get a little buddy for yourself :) One thing I love about our breeders are how open they are. We were able to visit Lincoln multiple times before we picked him up, can text her with questions whenever we want, and they really start the training process from day 3 of their lives! He is incredibly well mannered and hasn't had any bathroom accidents in our house. #winning She also hosts pool parties in the summer for any past puppies to come get together at her house and play! I love that he'll get to see his brothers and sisters again.

Another sweet name tag for when he gets a little bigger by Jenna Scifres.

Of course we have a rug, a bed and his crate with his blanket, but back behind the crate is his favorite spot to lay ;) Or under the couch!

How's he been doing so far? 

SO GOOD! Because the breeders have already been working with the puppies so much, he's been so easy. He only whined one or two times at night before going to sleep and didn't wake up at all through the night to go potty. So far we've just had to take him out at 6am each morning. I count that as a success! He is also really chill, but loves to play. He naps hard and has the sweetest personality! We're trying to get him socialized by having friends come over and by taking him out a few places.

He already totally understands and responds to his name, is close to being able to sit, and we're training him to ring a bell when he needs to go outside. Yay for a smart puppy!

Lincoln Loves:
- his bacon bone

- sleeping under the couch

- his parents :)

- cheese treats

- napping

- chewing anything! 

- playing outside in the bushes and bark.

Lincoln Doesn't Love:

- wind (it's so funny!!)

- his collar (keeps itching it haha)

Lincoln's Parent's Love:

- his soft ears

- his light eyes (hoping they stay light or go blue!)

- his playful spirit

- all his adorable napping positions

This face is my favorite!!

That's our little guy! I'll do a post about him once a month or so in case anyone is interested in his growth! If you have any questions, just let me know.

xoxo

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