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The Weekender: Rent the Two Flat, Trailblazers, Voting By Mail and David Bowie Forever

brass sconce | door smart lock + handleset

We’re Keeping Her!

The Two Flat, that is! Man, what a winding road that decision was. As many of you may have seen during a recent Instagram Story Q+A, we honestly weren’t sure if this would be the case. Rather, we’d been feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, perpetually behind, confused and triggered. There was a period of time where the very thought of walking into the Two Flat would give me anxiety, and the scent of renovation – freshly cut 2x4s, drywall putty, polyurethane and discarded boxes – was almost too much to bear.

But. But, but, but – we took a pause. We met with our realtor and talked with our financial advisors. We talked with our lender about refinancing options. We stepped back and realized that we were thisclose to completion, and if we had made it this far (and in 2020, no less), that we could and should and would cross that finish line! In the end, we kept coming back to this: We simply could not sell this home and make a very permanent decision during a temporary situation.

Instead, we decided to give ourselves grace. Rather than continue down the path of Airbnb-ing Unit 1 (as we had hoped), we’ll be renting out both units with a traditional year-long lease! As soon as we came to this conclusion, we felt immense relief and happiness, and we know in our hearts that this is the right choice for us, for now. Because when it really comes down to it, we love this old girl. We’ve been pouring our hearts into restoring this 130-year-old home, and we will continue to do so until she’s complete!

Here’s a quick breakdown on each unit:

Unit 1

  • 3 bedrooms / 2 bathrooms
  • In-unit washer and dryer
  • Full kitchen with dishwasher and all new appliances
  • Bonus kitchenette
  • Separate dining room
  • 1 parking spot + easy street parking
  • Available no sooner than November 1

Unit 2

  • 2 bedrooms / 1 bathroom
  • In-unit washer and dryer
  • Full kitchen with dishwasher and all new appliances
  • 1 parking spot + easy street parking
  • Available November 1

We’ve already received several inquiries for both units, but if you’re interested in renting either unit, please send us an email. Serious inquiries only. Thank you for rooting us on throughout this entire process! We heart you so much.

What Else?

This Trailbazer T-Shirt collection for little ones is beautiful! You can use our link for $10 off your purchase. We picked up Jane Goodall and Frida Kahlo for our Goose!

David Bowie forever and ever.

Human, of course you are exhausted. You keep thinking that you need to be constantly doing.

— a great reminder from @ecowithem

If you’ve been relying on the one-eyed babysitter more than usual lately, may I suggest a new show? We recently started watching Bluey, an Australian cartoon for preschoolers, and it is SO good. Each episode is 10 minutes or less, super sweet, and teaches a valuable lesson with heart. Tip: We watch it on Disney+, but YouTube has full length episodes as well!

Have you taken a peek at the new line from Amber Lewis for Anthropologie? Here are a few of my favorites:

Our mail-in ballots came this week! I’ve been voting by mail for years, but this will be the first time that I’ll be utilizing a Chicago Drop Box to prevent delays. This is the easiest-to-understand step by step I’ve seen to help you vote by mail, and Rock the Vote is another wonderful resource to make sure that your voice is heard!

Lucy is growing like a weed, so I took this opportunity to upgrade her too-tight coats. We ordered this faux shearling jacket for the fall, and this one for Chicago’s cold winters, and the verdict? ADORABLE.

For a few more weeks, you can explore the Black Artists Print Shop through Framebridge! They’re highlighting 4 Black artists and the option to choose the perfect frame for completing your gallery wall.

IG I Love

Tanieka’s style is one that I admire immensely. On her feed, you’ll find a can-do attitude, DIY grit, traditional bones, and a fresh take on what ‘home’ means. Plus? Girl can style a bouquet of baby’s breath like no one’s business. I encourage you to give Tanieka @thisborrowedhome a follow today, and be prepared to feel inspired!

Weekend Sales

Raise a Glass This Weekend!

What are you up to this weekend? We have the help of parents for the next several days, so we’ll be hitting it hard at the Two Flat to get her looking her best – and we’ll be raising a glass every evening to celebrate. Wishing you a happy weekend, friends!

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  • Brenda10.2.20 - 7:28 AM

    Looking forward to seeing Lucy in some of the Trailblazer shirts!  Too cute!!  Looking forward to getting and turning in my ballot next week!  ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.2.20 - 8:29 AM

      I need to decide on which shirt! They’re all so good!ReplyCancel

  • Meg10.2.20 - 9:00 AM

    Buying those t-shirts for all the kids in my life.  Dropped off our ballots at the 69 W. Washington drop box yesterday morning at 8:30am.  Could not have been easier.  The site had a guard, so it was secure.  Last night I got an email confirming that the State of Illinois had received the ballot and that it would be counted.  It really made me appreciate living in a state that tries to help its citizens exercise their right to vote.  It must be demoralizing to live in Texas and wake to the news that the governor has arbitrarily restricted drop boxes to one per county.  Imagine if Cook County only had one drop off location…ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.2.20 - 9:42 AM

      Meg, you couldn’t be more right. Voting should be MUCH more simple than it is, and yet, it can still feel like a mystery to so many! So proud to live in this city and state.ReplyCancel

  • Rebecca10.2.20 - 9:55 AM

    But where’s your rainbow skirt from?!!ReplyCancel

  • Katherine10.2.20 - 3:21 PM

    What a lovely weekender!! Great news I’m happy for you guys. And, BLUEY!!! So, so great. I love the how sweet it is and the way it gets my girls just giggling away the whole entire time. It’s so wholesome and good!! The Australian accents are such a bonus for me too, lol, I talk like Bluey and her mum and dad all the time!! ReplyCancel

    • Scott10.2.20 - 8:09 PM

      Bluey is the best!ReplyCancel

      • Jill10.2.20 - 8:31 PM

        Ezzy went thru a Bluey phase! I’ve got the song in my head now! ????ReplyCancel

        • Kim10.2.20 - 11:02 PM

          Lucy asks us to sing it to her every night. ????????ReplyCancel

  • Gita10.2.20 - 10:48 PM

    Best of luck with your tenant search! I just wanted to chime in about Airbnb specifically in Chicago. We also have a 2 flat that we rent (in nearby Roscoe Village) and recently were having some problems finding full year renters so we went through the process of converting it to an Airbnb/short term rental, however Chicago has strict rules that forbids anyone from Airbnbing  any space in a 2-4 flat building that isn’t occupied full time by the owner. Surely, we thought, there must be exceptions? We filed appeals, completed 9 pages of documentation and letters from neighbors, contacted our Alderman, went to city court to make our case in front of the commissioner, and alas, it was a hard no. Just wanted to mention this about what we experienced when we went down that road for our 2 flat, and again this specifically relates to Chicago laws. The kicker is that you won’t know the outcome of an appeal until AFTER you’ve spent the time/energy/money on outfitting your apartment and are  up and running on Airbnb, so we had 4 bookings before we had to pull the plug. Lessons learned! ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.2.20 - 11:01 PM

      Gita! That is so wild. Wow, grateful to have come to thr conclusion we did. I’m honestly surprised, as I’ve seen two flat rentals. Wow wow wow.ReplyCancel

  • Robin10.4.20 - 1:03 AM

    I want to move in. Any chance from Italy?ReplyCancel

  • Julie10.5.20 - 2:12 PM

    I’m glad your mind is more settled knowing that you will keep the beautiful two-flat. I’m a traditional landlord and nothing makes me happier than providing great house for great people.ReplyCancel

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We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

Join us as we renovate and nurture vintage homes across Chicago + SW Michigan!

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