Black and white

This weekend I finally got around to doing some of the crafty things I have been putting off. Perhaps I was inspired by the madness from the sample sale I attended last week (more on that later). In any case, after a visit to Madison to visit some college friends, Sunday was spent going out to breakfast with the boy, watching movies/dozing on the couch, and sprucing up the corner cabinet in my bathroom.

Before (sorry, my only before picture was taken in my tiny bathroom)

And after!

The project was super cheap and simple. The decorative paper on the top of the cabinet is actually Hallmark gift wrap from their "Modern Woman" collection. I adhered it with several layers of Mod Podge (warning: it is really difficult to do a large surface area like this one without those pesky air bubbles and took me several tries before I was satisfied/gave up). Then the edges of the cabinet got a fresh coat of black paint to give the cabinet more structure. This goes perfect in my black and white bathroom, and I'm ignoring the fact that it is a bit girly for my boy's tastes.

Sunshine daydream

Since moving to a shady, albeit pretty, tree-lined street, I have to admit that I have been craving more sunlight to stream in my windows. Of course, the grass is always greener with me- I used to live in a west-facing high-rise apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows and was annoyed that I had to dust every other day (at least in theory) and that my apartment was always about 15 degrees hotter than it should have been. I will eventually find my perfect compromise, but until then here is some pretty eyecandy.

Breaking barriers.

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Naked windows.

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Bring inside, out.

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If you can't stand the heat...

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was fun and full of birthdays- grandpa and multiple friends- which meant one night I had some [old person] pot roast dinner and one night I had the best Chicago pizza and drinks. This is a really exciting week because...drumroll...it's Chicago Marathon week! The marathon is on Sunday, so I am anxiously watching the weather and hoping for a new forecast that does not predict 47 degrees as a high.

Anyway... what I really want to talk about is how my kitchen countertops are red. What does one do with red countertops (that cannot be permanently altered)? My decorative energy right now is going into embracing the red and temporarily changing the rest of the kitchen.

I started by cleaning the mini-blinds so that they are white (no longer gray). I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick spruce up. I just removed them from the wall, laid them on the floor, sprayed them with some Mrs. Meyers, and used a wet cloth to wipe them down one-by-one. You would be amazed as to what the true color of your blinds actually is. I'm thinking about doing more though, and I think that this ribbon idea is a great idea to add something to some boring mini-blinds.

{Image from Little Green Notebook}

Another fabulous idea that I can't get enough of is to create your own fabric shades using simple mini-blinds.

{Image from Little Green Notebook}

Next idea... a colorful backsplash. Installing tile is pretty much out of the question since a) that's pretty permanent, b) this is a low-cost project, and c) I'm pretty sure it would be a disaster if I tried to do it alone. Any ideas??

Home sweet home

How do you make your home feel like home? Etsy has some great finds.

No place like home.

{Image from darlingArt}

A perfect little shelf for the tiny area between my bed and door.

{Image from LittleFishFurniture}

A sweet print for a shared bedroom.

{Image from krisblues}

Together like salt and peppa.

{Image from ArtMind}

An enviable house, for the birds.

{Image from birdhouseaccents}

A pretty mirror for a pretty face.

{Image from RowansRoom}

Cozy with a capital C

I feel like I'm on a role with my blog posts, so even though I did just take a little cat nap on the couch (at 10:30pm) and probably should just watch Oprah and go to bed, or perhaps pack since I'm moving in, oh, 3 days and have approximately 4 boxes packed, I'm feeling dedicated to my blog.

As I mentioned before, my new apartment is super cozy, so I have a couple goals to really enhance its coziness factor.

Always have a candle lit in the evening. My favorites are Voluspa and Skeem Design pillar candles. These candles smell amazing, burn for a long time, and come in gorgeous tins and jars.

Paint the inside of my bookshelves. It adds an extra pop and depth to any room. I'm thinking of using this exact color.

Have fresh, seasonal flowers in at least one room. For summer: hydrangeas. For autumn: mums.

{Image from apartmenttherapy.com}

{Image from countryliving.com}

Invest in some untypical wall art. Check out Janey Mac's vinyl embellishments on Etsy, they're precious.

{Image from Janey Mac Press}

Try to cook more in the hand-me-down Crockpot from my mom, which I have used approximately one time in the past year. Barring any major disasters, it just makes the kitchen smell wonderful.

a new home.

Wow have I been absent from the internet for a long time! My days have been super packed and flown by lately. In the past week or so I have finished up my summer job (sad), attended a wedding (pretty), helped host and tried to golf at a golf outing in memory of a good friend (a blast), vacationed in Michigan (relaxing), and found a new apartment (exciting!). There also have been quite a few days spent lounging at my pool too.

I have a feeling that this blog will soon turn into quite the design site, as I am ecstatic to decorate my new cozy apartment. I will be moving from the 45th floor of a high rise right off Michigan Avenue to a sweet Victorian walk-up in Lincoln Park. It will be a huge, much needed change of pace! My days have been spent perusing casasugar.com, my current addiction.

clothing as decor. There is a fine line between making a room look like a closet and having a gorgeous dress on display, and this is definitely the latter. My boyfriend has (sort of) given me permission to use our tiny second bedroom as my dressing area, so I think I will have to hang up some of my favorites.

various objects in the fireplace. My new place has the most adorable gray brick fireplace! A collection of candles is certainly quaint when lit on a winter night, but I love the idea of putting flowers or shells or these glass logs in the space during the summer.

area rugs. This might require more salary than I actually have, unfortunately.

something pink. But only when paired with masculine colors and objects like this design. I currently have some white porcelain fruit sculptures on a round pink placemat on my light oak kitchen table.

a sweet lamp. Well this is a bit premature, but how precious would this lamp be in a little baby girl's bedroom?

Working on my qi

After a fantastic visit in St. Louis, I returned feeling a little bit antsy. Nothing excites me more than change, so I love traveling and moving around, but when I return from a trip I often do not adjust quickly and yearn to be gone again. So, in order to fulfill my craving for newness and change, I decided to rearrange my bedroom (I am constantly rearranging furniture, pictures, plants, ect.). I'm loving the results, with the exception of my incredibly sore body. I would not recommend trying to move a queen size ornate wooden bed and equally large dresser and mirror by yourself, especially when trying to swap their places across the room from each other. I decided to spice things up a bit, or rather zen things down a bit actually, and researched some principles of feng shui for the bedroom. Feng shui translates to "wind and water" and is the ancient Chinese art of placement.

1. Use warm, earthy tones- coral, peach, tan, cocoa- for a cozy atmosphere and natural blues and greens for a tranquil atmosphere. Accent shades of pinks and reds increase romance in the bedroom.

2. The positioning of the bed is crucially important. The bed should be positioned as to increase the feeling of safety and security. It should be away from the door and against a secure wall; a strong headboard provides additional strength. A bed should not be against a window, as it is thought that energy enters and exits through the window. Most crucially, the foot of the bed should not face the door. The Chinese call this the "Death Position" because the deceased are carried out of a room feet first, and this position is thought to drain your life force.

3. Bedroom furniture should have curves, not corners. Corners create a "sharp" environment and direct negative energy directly at your sleeping body.

4. Rid yourself of clutter. Excess objects in a room are thought to impede your progress in life. Don't store things under the bed because it can block energy from flowing. Placing plants in corners prevents energy from "stagnating" there. Also, consider what memories cling to the objects in your bedroom and get rid of anything that does not have a positive memory attached to it.

5. The bedroom is a place for rest and relaxation. TVs, phones, computers, and work stations are not welcome. If you must, hide any connections with the outside world or work from view with a pretty screen.

6. Create a space full of pairs and symmetry, especially if you are looking for someone else to share it with. If you are truly looking for a partner, the far right corner of your bedroom is called the "love center," an area where you should build a "shrine to love" with a photo, a pair of candles, or anything else romantic. Note: you probably shouldn't ever admit to anyone that you have a "shrine to love" in your bedroom.

7. Place beautiful art on the wall opposite your bed- something that makes you feel inspired. Only display photographs of people who sleep in the room. Also, a mirror should never be placed opposite or over the bed because it bounces too much energy around the room and is thought to magnify problems and worries. Plus, a mirror could negate all the work of your "shrine to love"- some say that mirrors in the bedroom can invite a third party in your relationship.

8. Light right. The room should have a lot of natural light during the day, especially a lot of sunshine in the morning, soft light in the evening, and pure darkness while you sleep.

9. Create a place that appeals to all your senses. Fill the bedroom with smells, sounds, materials that you love. Keep the air fresh.

After my quick lesson on feng shui, I'll admit that I didn't actually change anything; I just gave myself a pat on the back for all the elements I happened to already have going on in my bedroom. I'm not sure how much I believe that placing a pink pillow on my bed (which definitely wouldn't match my earthy tan and soothing green decor) will improve my romantic life, or that my boyfriend is going to cheat on me because I won't remove the mirror that I probably can't live without. However, the mindfulness that goes into de-cluttering and reorganizing your bedroom will certainly have a positive effect on your life, and any action will make you feel a little bit better. It did the trick for me and got rid of my St. Louis blues.