On a more personal note: The Condo

I always wanted to do a series of blog posts on my condo. Little did I know, I’d be doing it all in one chunk and trying to sell it at the same time:)I took the time to clean and photograph my adorable little abode so we’d have awesome pictures for people to look at online! We’ve lived here for almost 3 years, can you believe it?!? It blows my mind.

When I think about actually leaving this place, I get sad. It’s the best place ever.. but it’s time to move out and up to something a little bigger. With Kyle’s new job taking up so much of his time, I want him to be able to have his own office so he can work from home more often. As you’ll see in the pictures, we currently share an office (this is a new development.. his desk used to be in our bedroom.). But what I’ve learned about Kyle, and this is new to me after living with him for nearly 3 years, is that he’s a Self-Talker. I’ll be sitting at my desk trying to edit photos or design an album and out of nowhere I hear him say, “Yeah, I don’t think I need to include that module after all. Perfect.”

….

Not only does that break my concentration, but it’s so weird. I’m the silent worker bee. In fact, I’m just quiet all the time! Even when I’m watching a movie and something funny happens, I think to myself, “Ha! That was funny!” but I rarely laugh out loud. I only laugh at Tosh.0 on occasion. The most recent episode where he shows the video of the girl blowing out her birthday candles, and then her friend smashes her face in the cake and knocks her unconscious?! OMG. I cried I was laughing so hard!

But I digress..

 

So anyway, my adorable little place is going on the market tonight, but I thought I would share some little tidbits that make it so special. Also, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the decor.. so I’ll explain some of my purchases/finds here as well:

 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “E as in Elephant” when telling people where I live! Haha So as you open the front door, the kitchen is to your left and the dining/living room is straight ahead.

As you walk into our condo, you notice an eclectic assortment of odds and ends.. as well as awesome vaulted ceilings. What we can’t say on the official MLS listing is that to the left of the ceiling fan, above the kitchen, Kyle has created the most awesome storage area ever. He put in floors, drywall, lighting, and a fan that vents to the roof. It adds an extra 180 sq.ft of space but because it was a DIY job, we can’t list it as a feature. But I can put it on my blog!

What I love about this place is how social it is. The kitchen is open to the dining room, which is open to the living room! Some of the best parties have been had here:)The black wall decal is just a sticker from Etsy, the birdcage is an eBay find, and the tiered side-table was found on the side of the road!

You are seeing that correctly, that is an orange wall. We originally painted it brown, but what fun is that? The Coffee Table is actually a reclaimed old breakfast table from the 1930s. Kyle refinished it with a darker stain and added little legs to it. And the awesome Throne Chair is a Craigslist find! The clock is from Bed, Bath & Beyond online, and I took down the hands to change the battery and then forgot to put it back up.. now I can’t find it.. Oh well!

Ahhh the Master Bedroom. We literally JUST finished this room last month. We painted the walls grey (that would be “Porpoise” by Behr in eggshell finish), got brand new black hardwood floors, and found the white furniture at IKEA. The embroidered pillows and duvet cover are also from IKEA. The curtains were a custom, handmade job with 2 different colors of linen and the terrariums are just apothecary jars from Michael’s.

This room is amazing. Especially with that flat-screen… mmm…

P.s. The super delicious white cat in the window is not for sale.

The mirrored closet doors are such a nice touch!

Yup, that is a dragon holding our toilet paper. I’m going to shame him for a second (thank goodness he doesn’t read my blog) but Kyle used to play Dungeons & Dragons in highschool and he was actually the Dungeon Master. Now, I didn’t know what that meant until he told me, but apparently that’s the guy that’s in charge of the story… it’s a big deal. So now my mom and I mock him by buying him dragon things.. but he loves it. There’s also a matching dragon hand towel holder that didn’t make it into the pictures.

Guest bathroom has the washer and dryer in it! So nice:)The color of the bathroom is called “Spearmint Stick” by Behr in Semi-Gloss.

The kitchen has tons of storage space and really nice recessed lighting! I painted it “Butter Yellow’ by Valspar in Semi-Gloss.

And this is the second bedroom which has been turned into a hair salon/office. I’m sure most of your don’t know that I used to be a hairstylist (..and a barista, and a bartender.. we all start somewhere, right?) but I’ve kept up with the hairstyling because it’s fun and easy. The desk by the windows is Kyle’s, and mine is the dark one! The large built-it was brand new when we moved in as well as the wooden blinds (there are matching ones for every window in the house). The blue is the best color blue in the world, it’s called “Dusty Spruce” by Valspar in Eggshell.

And this is the view from our patio! Yeah, you see some parking lot.. but look at those mountains:)The picture is taken facing west so we get some phenomenal sunsets.So that’s pretty much it.. the Grand Tour:)The condo will get listed on the MLS database tonight, so if you or any of your friends are looking for an awesome condo to buy in Santa Clarita.. I know a girl who’s selling one. Here are some of the details of the place!

-We live on Apple Street off of Lyons Avenue in Newhall, CA
-The HOA is $286 and includes a pool, gated community and beautiful oak & apple trees on the property.
-It’s 1,159 sq ft.
-2 Bed/2 Bath (laundry in guest bath)
-1 storage unit in the garage
-1 inside parking spot/1 carport spot

It’s just 2 miles away from the freeway, less than a mile away from Ralphs and the best Chinese food in the valley.. China Palace.

ALSO, you are ridiculously close to the best little coffee house ever.. conveniently named, The Coffee House. Their chai tea latte makes me want to curl up with a book and a cat next to a fireplace. It’s totally a Santa Clarita gem that you just have to experience!

 

If you’re interested in it, or want more details, you can e-mail me at becca@beccarillo.com or if you want to contact my realtor instead, you can talk to Laura Smith with Dilbeck.

 

For the official listing, click here!

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Marc & Robyn | Married | Santa Clarita, California | Los Angeles Wedding Photographer Becca Rillo

Back in August, I was lucky enough to photograph Marc & Robyn’s beautiful wedding. I loved the sweet simplicity of the entire event and the calm, casual energy that Robyn had all day. There’s something to be said for a bride who doesn’t freak out on the day of her wedding and thank goodness that Robyn was as cool as a cucumber. The ceremony was quick and lovely. They hiked up to some ruins in a field and all of the guests stood below them as they exchanged vows. They were combining their families so Robyn’s four children and Marc’s two children were the bridal party! The whole affair was very sweet:)

There were a lot of fun “firsts” for me at this wedding.. Let’s start with #1:

#1: I’ve never photographed a family friend before. It’s really fun to know someone a little better than just a Starbucks date! I was able to photograph her in a way that I might not have just because I knew a little more about her..

 

#2: I’ve never photographed a second marriage before. It was such a touching moment when Robyn’s daughter helped her put her necklace on and I’m pretty sure there wasn’t one dry eye in that room.

 

Robyn just couldn’t stop crying and I had turned around to leave to give them a couple of minutes alone. But I glanced back for one second and stole this beautiful moment of Marc wiping away her tears.. ahh! So sweet!

 

Robyn and her kids were so cute! That has got to be the best feeling in the world as a mom..

 

#3: I’ve never been in a situation where someone lost the ring! Somebody.. not naming names.. was twirling his ring-bearer pillow like it was an Olympic sport and all of the sudden.. Marc’s ring was missing. Everyone dropped to their knees (except me, I guess..) and scoured the dry grass looking for it. The pastor was looking, even my lovely assistant, Cherie, lent a helping hand! But before long, the ring was found! And all was as it should be. Marc tied that darn ring onto that pillow so tightly that he couldn’t get it off during the ceremony..you’ll see)

 

(Notice Marc’s hand? The string from the pillow was still attached:)he just ripped it right off!)

 

#4: I’ve never photographed another photographer before! Let me just say that, as a wedding photographer, it’s the ultimate complement to have a fellow wedding photographer ask you to shoot their wedding. You can see Robyn’s work here!

Copyright © 2011 by Becca Rillo http://www.beccarillo.com
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer, Becca Rillo

Tell your love story without ever having to say a word.

Becca Rillo Photography | 661.310.6909 | becca@beccarillo.com

Aaron & Lily | Engaged | Pasadena, California | Los Angeles Wedding Photographer Becca Rillo

Aaron & Lily were so much fun to photograph! Even though they were probably sick of me dragging them all over City Hall for their photos, they still smiled and at least pretended that they had a good time:)haha This world-travelling duo has so much ahead of them and I can’t wait to see where life takes them after they get married! They’re tying the knot this March!

 

 

Copyright © 2011 by Becca Rillo http://www.beccarillo.com
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer, Becca Rillo

Tell your love story without ever having to say a word.

Becca Rillo Photography | 661.310.6909 | becca@beccarillo.com

Josh & Amy | Engaged | Santa Clarita, California | Los Angeles Wedding Photographer Becca Rillo

What can I say about Josh and Amy? Honestly, two of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. They are so deeply in love with each other and share the same passions (except for the whole vegetarian/carnivore thing.. haha). I had the honor of photographing their wedding in November, but I’m so behind with blogging that I’m just now sharing their engagement story:)

Amy found the beautiful rolling grass and it just worked out beautifully! I couldn’t have been happier with this shoot!

 

Copyright © 2011 by Becca Rillo http://www.beccarillo.com
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer, Becca Rillo

Tell your love story without ever having to say a word.

Becca Rillo Photography | 661.310.6909 | becca@beccarillo.com

SoCal Inspired Photoshoot | Los Angeles Wedding Photographer Becca Rillo

For the SoCal bride who dreams of a white wedding, this one’s for you!

Couples whose weddings occur around the holidays often feel limited in their décor and design options to colors such as forest green and burgundy, and things that shine, jingle or have evergreen foliage. Our goal was to set these love-birds free into the world of styling options available to them, giving a nod to the holiday season, but setting their wedding apart. We hoped to inspire couples to think outside the box (a wrapped Christmas present of course!) and give a SoCal style holiday wedding a try. Through this shoot, we hoped to create a wedding for a couple who wants to embrace all the goodness and warmth this season has to offer but is unique, modern, fresh and fun!

Having a January wedding? Just take out the Christmas presents and voila! You’re left with the stunning, winter-wonderland wedding that you’ve always dreamed of..

 

The exact gown that our lovely bride is modeling is available for purchase here!

 

Planning & Design/Styling: Marisa Nicole Weddings & Events / Styling Support: Tasteful Tatters / Graphic Design & Printed Materials: LLY Designs / Cake & Assorted Goodies: The Butter End Cakery / Floral Design: Enchanted Garden Floral Design / Vintage Plates & Flatware: The Vintage Table Co. / Rentals: A1 Event Rentals / Wedding Dress: The Gown Swap / Make-up Artistry: Elegance by Alex / Venue: The Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve

Copyright © 2011 by Becca Rillo http://www.beccarillo.com
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer, Becca Rillo

Tell your love story without ever having to say a word.

Becca Rillo Photography | 661.310.6909 | becca@beccarillo.com

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