Things I LOVE

I have become obsessed with some really great products lately.  I don't typically LOVE things as much as I LOVE the products above, unless we are talking about movies or books, of course.  


1. This beautiful Barr-Co. Candle was purchased at Anthropologie.  It has this amazing aroma that changes as it burns.  A little coconut, a little freshness and boom, my whole apartment smells relaxing and cozy.  It lasts a long while too!  I am on my second candle and can't wait to buy my third.


2. Let's face it, I LOVE dessert; however, I do want to start getting into shape and all of my sources says that dark chocolate is the way to go.  Enter Dove Dark Chocolate Squares to save the day.  Plus I got it on sale after Valentine's Day.


3. Bath and Body Works has long been my staple for amazing smelling lotions and body mists.  Last summer I fell in LOVE with Forever Sunshine.  It is a mix of apricot and summer smells. I have the lotion and body spray in this fragrance.  


4. I have been searching my whole life for a Chapstick that works well for me.  I typically lose it or it just doesn't work the way I want it to.  I demand a good mix of softness and usability from my lip balms.  C.O. Bigelow's Rose Salve wins the award for best ever!  It comes in a little tin, so I don't lose it, and it works wonders on not only my lips but also on my chapped hands.  It also gives my lips a nice shine, which I appreciate.


5. Eye shadows are something that I tend to LOVE or hate.  This has become my new favorite.  It is Ulta's eyeshadow quad Girly Girl.  It has great colors for my skin tone.  I can make it look dark or light, which makes it easy to switch from night to day.  I work long hours and having an eyeshadow that stays on and doesn't make my eyes look dark or have creases makes me a happy lady.

Wall Art

Nick took a week off of work in January, and we decided to get some DIY art accomplished.  Most of the walls of our apartment have pictures or paintings on them.  I think it makes it look more like a home and less like an apartment that we won't live in for very long lol.  At any rate, our dining room really needed some wall art.  We found some cool art online that we decided to replicate.

1.  See the poor sad wall space :(


2. We picked up three canvases from Hobby Lobby.  I wanted them to be different sizes to add depth to the art and to make it more interesting.


3.  We took blue painters tap and ran it across the three canvases.  We also bought three different shades of purple.  We picked a swatch from Menards that had three different shades that we liked and asked the lovely attendant to mis us samples of each color.  


4.  From there we separated the canvases and painted each a different shade.

5.  We LOVE the final results!


6.  The only thing that annoys me is that the edges of the white lines are a little fuzzy.  I think it is mostly because we had to paint two coats of each color and the tape shrank up in between coats.  Either way, it was a cheap and easy project that we fits perfectly in our apartment.

Christmas Decorations

We changed up our tree this year.  Last year was a teal and white theme. This year we did green and red.  I really liked the change because it gave us more options.  


We had a great Christmas this year!  Nick got a new computer, drawing pencils, gift cards, a desk chair and a new coat.  I got a KitchenAid Mixer (along with a few awesome attachements), an iPhone and some great gift cards.  Now we are just waiting for my mom to visit in two weeks to finish out the holiday season!

Pillows

I have been desperately hunting for new pillows for our sofa.  The ones we have are the same color and fabric as the sofa.  While they are comfortable, I am in the need for a new, fresh look.  Here are some of my favorites.

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I think the top combo is my favorite, but I'm still on the hunt.

Friday

So even though today is Friday, and I should be very excited about the weekend ahead...

I'm not.

I work a double today at work and the dinner shift tomorrow.  I want to sit at home and crochet and read and watch movies.  Or go out and pick pumpkins and go to the movies and out to dinner and have fun.

But, in the meantime, I am going to dream of...

Apparently I have homes on the mind.

Home

Fall has always felt like home to me.  I'm not sure if it is the cold, which creates a need for blankets, or if it is the idea of hot drinks and good books.  Either way, I always feel more comfortable in my skin.  

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Discoveries

Things I have learned in October:

1. If I thought September was busy, I never dreamed of October!

2. I love whipped cream cheese on an everything bagel.

3. Coffee keeps me alive.

4. Making food with friends and hanging out is more relaxing than watching T.V. by myself.

5. I want a comfy oversized sweater... like this one from Gap:

6. Fall/Autumn feels like home.

7. I get wrapped up accomplishing lists and forget to blog. 

Photo Editing

When I posted the new pictures of our bedroom, I was a little ashamed.  Not of the bedroom itself (it is my favorite room), but of the photos.  They just were not good.  Despite my ability with Illustrator and In-Design, my Photoshop ability and knowledge is very very limited.  So, I typically do not edit my photos, but I saw somewhere that iPhoto had a decent photo editing option.  Here are the bedroom redo pictures again, but better!

Bedroom Redo

I promised some photos of our bedroom along with our inspiration.  Sadly, I do not have any before pictures, but I promise, it wasn't that great beforehand.


So first, here is our inspiration.

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The last is my favorite.  The different woods and clam colors are my just to die for.

Now, time for the end results!

Our nightstands and dresser are from IKEA, the HEMNES collection.  I love the color of the wood and how large the dresser is.  It is also handy that the nightstands can be closed, so they don't have to be pretty on the inside.  

The comforter, lamps on the nightstands and mirror are also from IKEA (a theme, if you will).  

The lamps on the dresser are from Target.  Beyond that, everything is either hand-me-downs or things we have gotten along the way.

The only thing not finished is the headboard.  I'm not sure what to do with it.  I can't decide if I want to paint it white, coral or upholster it.  Either way, I like it for the time being.

Grump

That's right folks...today I am a grump.  The last two weeks have been great.  Nick and I have had tons of time together and work has had a lot of positive moments.  Then came this week.  


This week, our cat got an eye infection that requires us to put 2 drops of medicine in her eye 3 times a day (let me just say that she no longer likes or trusts us anymore)


AND


my car broke down....like $1,000 worth of broke down.  


Therefore, on this lovely Sunday afternoon, I am baking myself chocolate chip cookies in a shallow attempt to make myself feel better.  I also plan on eating all of the carbs I can get my hands on with the help of a new cookbook Real Simple Meals Made Easy.   

I picked this beauty up at the local Borders.  Since they are all closing, so sad, I got it for 30% off.  I am excited to try the Lasagna-Style Baked Ziti for dinner this evening (expect a post soon all about it).


There went the timer.....


morsels of joy, here I come. 


Hmmmm, cookies, cold milk and a good book.  I feel better already.

Living Room

As of now, the living room is the only room in the house that is filled with slightly unwanted hand-me-down furniture.  Not that I do not love my hand-me-downs, but they don't match our style any longer.  


Even though we aren't currently in the position to redo the living room, I would like to start making some decisions so we can at least head in the right direction.  We took the same approach with our bedroom, and now it is my favorite room in the house (pictures to come, when I have a day to clean it top to bottom first, lol).  


The first step in my "process" is to find lovely pictures of living rooms.  Oh and because I'm not the best blogger in the whole world, I only have a source for about half of these inspiration photos (eek!).

All of the above photos are from the all-inspiring House Beautiful living room slide show!  I find these all to be nice and neutral with pops of color here and there.  I think the very first is my current favorite because of the different textures and colors that blend well.

The above photos are the ones that I had in a file of inspiration, and have no clue of the source.  Of these, I think the last one is my favorite.  It has the same charm that the other favorite has.  I also really like the picture with the couple at their desks in the living room.  Nick and I are constantly sitting in the living room, me on my laptop on the couch and Nick behind me on his computer.  We enjoy being in the same room but doing separate things.  This would be a perfect way for us to be together and chat, but still be able to do different things.


Do you have favorite styles of the moment or a "process" for design?