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March 23, 2019Leave a comment

Happy Saturday!

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting this past week, as it’s been 1 year since I decided to move to Charleston for real. It seems like yesterday since I was sitting at the Pineapple Fountain feeling like my whole life was waiting for me here, and I just had to finish tying up the loose ends in Philadelphia. No more double-life! Well, now I’m totally immersed in it and I’ve never.been.happier. I know I’ve made a few questionable choices over the past year, purely for the enjoyment of a single moment. But, when I made my mind up to move, never once did I question that choice.

So, I just wanted to take a second to revel in the calmness I felt then, and the happiness I feel now, knowing that I can trust myself to do what’s best for me!

❤

Photoshop Fun: Charleston Bedroom

June 19, 2018June 20, 20182 Comments

Hope you enjoyed my Living Room reveal!

Now, I want to show you my Bedroom. First, I want to share some overall photos, so you can get a better idea of how the room looks!

How do you feel about those green walls?? And the tiny sink in the corner, because there’s no sink in the bathroom 😳 But the fireplace is SO cozy! So, let’s see the BEFORE and AFTER.

I’m thinking of having the walls painted bright white, along with the trim – and I guess the fireplace too (still figuring that out) and painting the upper part of the walls above the picture rail in a soft blush. All of the furniture is my own, with the addition of the same long white linen drapery that I used in the Living Room. The ceilings are super tall and my current curtains are too short! I’ll replace my bedding with a fresh, white duvet or quilt, and crisp shams. See that little gold pineapple mirror? I just snagged it on sale from Michael’s a few weeks ago. And it’s currently on sale again for $11.99! I thought it was so perfect for Charleston, but still looks classy, not kitschy.

I’m thinking of using Velcro to add a beige linen skirt under the sink to hide a basket with my straighteners, curling irons, and brushes, since I’ll be getting ready in my bedroom. You’ll understand once I share my bathroom reveal…

Thanks for staying on for the tour! Stay tuned for more soon!

❤

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Photoshop Fun: Charleston Living Room

June 19, 2018June 19, 20183 Comments

Hi Ya’ll!

I KNOW you’ve been patiently waiting to see some BEFORE & AFTERS. Am I right? Well, today is your lucky day!

Check out the Living Room BEFORE. Not loving the 2 tone walls or the yellowy tile on the fireplace. It just needs some love!Heck yasss!! Now that’s an AFTER!

I “painted” the walls a soft griege – actual Sherwin Williams color to be determined! I freshened up all of the trim and used black paint over the yellow tile to make the firebox appear larger. Then I just added my own furniture and a *few* new pieces 🙂

I hope you feel just as sophisticated as I feel when I come home!

Cha-Cha-Cha-nging to Cha-rleston

June 18, 2018June 18, 20184 Comments

Hello Friends!

I know it’s been SO long since I’ve posted, and you know it’s always because I’m out enjoying life. But…

I’m FINALLY moving to Charleston! This incredible photo I took on my last visit is *basically* going to be my view EVERY DAY!

Last year, my friend, Abbey, gave me a pocket journal. When I visited on March 21, 2017, I brought it with me and wrote things like “I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be at any time and if I’m being truly honest with myself, then I need to be here”, “It’s the most magical place on earth”, “I just love it and I don’t want to go home” You know, real subtle proclamations of love. 😂 So, a year and a day later, when I found myself in Charleston again, I opened the journal and read my words. Everything just clicked. I was having such an amazing time, I extended my trip, and decided I needed to do it fo’ realz.

Once the decision was made, I started to look for a place. Back in April, I found a cute little studio in an amazing location, with a fireplace, parking, and even a sweet entry that I could make into an office, since I’ll be working from home for a few months. But, it was over-budget. While I was negotiating pricing, it got leased out from under me, and I was so disappointed. How am I ever going to find anything that compare to that?! *Insert Universe laughing*

And then –

I found a beautiful gem of an apartment…a huge one bedroom…in an old mansion…with 2 fireplaces…10 foot ceilings…transom windows…wood inlaid floors…1 block from the water…right on budget…and I’m allowed to make renovations (ahhh!) The cherry on top was signing my lease on my 32nd birthday (double ahhh!!) I’m not going to lie, I might actually be the luckiest woman in the entire world.

The past 4 years have been extremely transformational and if this is my “consolation” for the challenges I’ve faced, then I’ll take it – gladly!

I’ll be photoshopping some of the rooms, since “rough” is a good word to describe my new home’s current state 😂 I’m SO excited to share the Before and Afters with you. So keep your eyes open for a Sneak Peek in the next couple of days!

❤ The Huntress

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Life is Good.

October 25, 2016October 25, 2016Leave a comment

bridge

To try and describe something that’s indescribable is always impossible. You try to find words that mean what you feel, but it’s like a phrase that doesn’t have a direct translation.

As I’m entering the last week of my trip, I’m realizing the impact that the last 2 months have had on my life.

The healing that has come out of this journey is really incredible. If that’s all that happened I would be grateful! It’s helped me to forgive myself, forgive others, and confidently lets me know that a different path is meant for me. It’s almost like a veil was lifted and I can finally start to appreciate all of the good in my life. It’s not that I couldn’t see it before, but everything has become brighter and clearer. But that’s not all that happened. I found my inner strength, gained confidence, was independent, and made some amazing friendships that I intend to keep forever.

I went out to dinner with a few friends tonight, and we were all talking about Charleston and what brought us here, and someone asked me, “What would you tell yourself 2 months ago?” And my answer really surprised me. “Nothing.”

My favorite part of this journey has been the NOT knowing. The beautiful unfolding of my life was so exciting when I DIDN’T know what was coming. This shocked me, because I’m constantly saying, “I just wish I knew what was coming next!” And for the first time in a long time, I’ve been happy with NOT knowing. With letting things happen as they do and enjoying the scenery along the way.

As I sit here, with my “butterfly bestie” Abbey’s beautiful piano song she played tonight still ringing in my ears, I’m trying to think of other
words that I can use to describe what this trip has meant to me, and I’m at a loss.

This rarely happens, so let’s relish in the silence, just knowing that life is good.

❤

Alabaster Lamp UPDATE!!

September 10, 20161 Comment

I posted about this beautiful alabaster lamp base a few days ago…

Remember when I said:

“This alabaster lamp base was the one thing that I really hated to leave behind. It was a little bit more than I want to spend when I’m on a limited budget. Especially when I don’t really need a lamp. But it was SOOO cute. Such a sweet size, so perfectly carved. I was worried about the wiring, but that’s something that could easily be fixed, right?”

So, on my way to the beach today, I stopped by the Antiques Market to see if I could pick it up. I checked my cell phone photo to see if I could find where it was, based on the other items that were near it and…

It was gone.

Only the ceramic dog and decorative bowl remained. Gahhhhhhhhh! I even went to the cashier, who regretfully informed me that it had sold. Why didn’t I hide it amongst the other crap??? I looked at all of the other treasures that I posted, and everything was still in EXACTLY the same spot! Nothing had sold. I’m convinced nothing in the whole place sold, except my beloved alabaster lamp base 😦

I did find very similar ones online, but the point was that this would be a souvenir from Charleston. It was the special hidden treasure that I found. Uggghhh! That’s what happens when you don’t buy a one-of-a-kind item right away…

Note To Self: BUY EVERYTHING!

Trucking around Chucktown

September 1, 2016September 2, 2016Leave a comment

Every street in this city is more beautiful than the last. So, often I find myself just walking around and enjoying the views. It gives me the same kind of rush as when I’m treasure hunting!

First, let’s talk about what I wore…Tan Tank: Forever 21, ancient

Distressed Shorts: Target (stars and stripes exposed pockets removed)

Necklace: Target (part of a set)

OK, now onto the REAL beauties of this post!

And a close-up of that middle house:

Philadelphia Alley below 🙂

Rainbow Row:

Cypress trees:

This is peering through the window of a home that was under construction #jealouscreeper

View 1 and 2:

Old brick driveway:

And a close-up of that Olive Wonder:

This also deserved a close-up!

Oh! Hello, little Friend!

🙂

Greetings from Charleston!

August 26, 2016August 26, 2016Leave a comment

Hello Ya’ll! (OK, I’ll stop)

If you follow me on the ‘Gram (sarahashley612), you will see that I have been heading down south. #sarahdoescharleston

I have long contemplated moving to Charleston, South Carolina for 4 years. Why Charleston? Why not Charleston…the vibe of the city is just *heaven*. Every building has a story to tell and is maintained so beautifully. The old cobblestones, bricks, lanterns, piazzas, weather, palm trees, shops, and award winning restaurants are all reasons why it’s been ranked The #1 City in the World by Travel + Leisure in 2015. I’ve always loved the South, so when I talked about moving here, Charleston was constantly suggested. Not to mention, every time I saw a dreamy photo of a place I felt like I needed to go, the caption always confirmed the location…Charleston.

I made 2 trips this past year to explore downtown and the suburbs, and I still felt like I needed to see what this path meant for me, so it was about time that I bossed up and made it happen! Don’t get me wrong, I have everything going for me at home, but I felt like I couldn’t move forward with any of it until I figured out what role Charleston would play in my life. It may just be a fun experience to tell my kids about (lesson: have courage), a good time to continue some emotional healing (yep, still working on it), and also give me more confidence in being independent (get it, girl!), or solidify why I need to own a home here at some point in my life (which means I need to become a multimillionaire AND also marry a multimillionaire…)

In order to “test” it out and really take advantage of the experience, I decided to come down for 2 months. I figured out a way to continue working at my spectacular company, found an incredible FURNISHED apartment in a “Charleston Single” house right downtown, and hopefully made a connection to help a local interior designer (fingers crossed!) So far, it’s been just the kind of trip I thought it would be. A chance to be alone with my thoughts and fall in love with where I am in my life now.

It’s working.

❤

The Huntress Blog

Tag: charleston

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