{ office hours }

A friend of mine just moved into a new apartment and is currently planning out a little home office for their spare bedroom. She asked if I had any suggestions for a space that would primarily be hers, but also suitable for her boyfriend to work in occasionally. 

(Uh, chyeah.)

Don't get me wrong, I like sequins and pink just as much as the next gal, but I'm beginning to accept that there is definitely a part of me that's very much drawn to a more masculine first layer, with more feminine pieces drizzled on top, if you will. 

I'm currently obsessed with Bashful by Benjamin Moore, and this is a perfect example of my favorite way to use it. In a room of more masculine furnishings, the peachy pink hue envelopes the room and softens each piece, making it fit for a lady but still apropos for a man. Win, win! The fun mint file cabinet (which I just happen to have been lusting over for several months) also serves as a side table between the two side chairs facing the desk), and lends a bit of color and fun to the space. Actually, the lamps would also be a great place to inject a little more "her" in the room, but I kind of dig the simplicity of the black. Plus, the finish on them still makes it all feel just a touch "glam." 

(Oy, I really detest that word.)

As you can tell, I couldn't find the perfect painting to sit above the credenza just yet, haha. I'm thinking something with a bit of that mint color in it, but so far I haven't found anything that seems quite right. 

Any reccs? What kind of environment do you prefer to work in? Do tell!

Thanks for stopping by, all! 

lovelovelove.

-C

{ the most divine exhaustion }

via

I fell in love with this dining nook earlier this morning. 

Banquet seating, wishbone chairs, fun textiles, bunch of handpicked flowers, white walls, and lovely natural light.

I am more exhausted than I have been in a long, long time. But it is the most divine exhaustion. I am busy with so many things that I love. And most days I still can't believe I'm lucky enough to be doing everything that I am. I never, ever could have envisioned my life being what it is now. And there are still so many decisions to be made and possibilities to come. I'm not going to share them just yet, but I promise I will soon.

via

for now, you can find me filling up my coffee cup to keep my eyes alert. I'm off to get dressed for Day Two of the Jess LC Lookbook Shoot and a meeting. 

Hope you all have the most wonderful day. lovelovelove.

-C

{ Love Note: Shoppe by Amber Interiors}

I'm sourcing items for a couple of clients bedrooms right now, and I can't help but to continuously peruse Shoppe by Amber Interiors. My personal taste tends to favor texture and pattern over color, but with Amber Interiors, you neednt sacrifice either. The suzani pillows, in particular, get me all hot and bothered. Le sigh...

Do yourself a favor and head on over to the Shoppe now. I'll be there, as well. Wistfully browsing.

Have a wonderful day, everyone! lovelovelove.

-C

{ Make It Work: One Couch, Two Ways }

Let's be honest. When you're decorating on a budget, sometimes you've gotta do as Tim Gunn would and "make it work." A couple of years ago my roommates and I were generously gifted a large, brown leather sofa for our new apartment by one of our moms. We were thrilled to have such a huge expense taken off our plate, but were originally a little bit stumped on how to make the piece feel like "us." If you can relate to a similar challenge, don't fret. There are endless possibilities to furniture pieces even if they aren't what you would originally envision.

Here we have two opposite looks that you can achieve with a basic, brown leather sofa. Note that I didn't use a brown leather sofa from Restoration Hardware with gorgeous tufting and lines. We're talkin' the basics here, because I'm not tryin' to pull the wool over your eyes! This is truly about making what you have work without sacrificing your taste or vision for your space.

Option One: Soften the space with cool, subtle tones and mix glam, shiny materials with worn wood to keep things well rounded. A pop of fresh flowers and a soft, fluffy throw pillow will balance the harsher dark leather.

Option Two: If a dark leather couch seems too traditional and serious for you, there are plenty of ways to insert personality. Bright accessories, a graphic rug, modern shapes and plants will make your living room come alive in no time. 

You don't have to pigeon hole yourself with the pieces you have to work with. Have fun, try things out, and see what works. Throw pillows aren't permanent, and experimenting is half the fun!

Need a little extra help? Email me your design dilemma and receive a custom mood board and breakdown for only $30***. See here for more details.

Thanks so much for stopping in, guys! Have a wonderful day. lovelovelove.

-C

***Because of demand, my services and price list have expanded and changed! See here for more details  about how we can work together :)

{ Love Note: Dabble Magazine }

Do you guys read Dabble Mag? It is decidely my perfect cup of tea. Travel, Design and Food.

My three most favorite things in all the world.

I browsed their gallery this morning and couldn't click fast enough on just about each and every photo. So much inspiration. I simeltaneously want to leave town and travel the world, redesign my entire apartment, and eat something delectable.

Sounds plausible, right? Do yourself a favor and go check it out if you  haven't yet.

Thanks for stopping in, everyone. Have a wonderful weekend!

-C

*all photos from Dabble Mag's Gallery via their website*

{ Wedding Brain }

With Wedding Week coming up on The Everygirl, I couldn't help but indulge in a little eye candy for the big day. If I were planning a wedding, this is what would inspire me:

One: Maybe one of the most beautiful centerpieces/tablescapes that I've ever seen. (via Ruffled)

Two: Absolutely in love with this beach wedding in Punta Cana, featured on Ruffled.

Three: lovely hues for the bridesmaids (via Style Me pretty)

 What's inspiring your wedding brain lately?

lovelovelove.

-C

{ words for your week }

I know I can't be the only one who gets so focused on an end goal that I miss the beauty of the in between. I've realized that I almost never fully appreciate things in the present, I only see how wonderful it was when I'm looking back at it.

Here's to learning to enjoy the journey!

One other thing I plan to try to be better at this week: turning the computer off after 8pm. I want to be more productive during the day so that my nights can be spent more with my loved ones. Yes? Yes. 

Hope you all have a wonderful day. Do something fun for yourself. Some of my favorite Monday treats? A warm croissant, or chocolate milk in a wine glass. Today, I plan to engage in Happy Hour.

Thanks for stopping in! I'll see you all tomorrow.

lovelovelove.

-C

image via

{ kodak moments }

It used to be that while I loved snapping photos of precious kodak moments, I never really could find a way to display them through the house without feeling like it looked cheesy. Then I found these images, which have me thinking that I need to stop storing images on my laptop and start getting them printed ASAP. 

I love how displaying these in mass makes such an impact. It feels personal, original, yet elegant and chic. And if you follow Rita Konig's example in the second photo, you have a much less expensive option for art above your mantle than purchasing a large statement piece of art. Totally in love with this.

What do y'all think?  

Thanks for stopping in! lovelovelove.

-C

*I have no source for this first photo. Can anyone help a blogga out?

Second photo source

{ Love Notes: Rita Konig }

Rita Konig, style writer and interior designer, and as it turns out, responsible for about 75% of all the images I drool over on Pinterest. I was browsing her online portfolio last night, and holy guacamole. 

I love her.

Her use of patterns and color is so well done, and I love that her rooms feel playful, never stuffy (even when they're traditional).

Don't you just want to dive into those heart sheets from the first photo? What a beautiful, cozy room. The styling in all of them is outta this world.

Okay. I will pick my jaw up off the floor now. But only because I have to get to work.

Hope you all have the most wonderful day. Do you have a favorite designer?

lovelovelove.

-C

All photos from Rita Konig

{ Thank You }

Thank you all so, so much for your kind words about The Everygirl feature yesterday! Each comment, email, or tweet made my day. You guys are the best :).

I've had a lot of questions about where I got certain things in the apartment, and a few blog post requests to share some more tips on my favorite ways to put a home together on a strict budget (and sometimes, no budget at all).

So that's what the rest of this week is going to be about. I'm going to go through my source list with you and give you all the tricks up my sleeve. I hope it helps. Check back tomorrow to get started :).

Thank you all so much for stopping in today. lovelovelove to each of you.

-C

All photos by Arielle Elise for The Everygirl

{ words for your week: don't discount yourself. }

Tomorrow morning my home is being featured on The Everygirl. 

You know that REALLY surprised face that Taylor Swift has every time she wins an award? 

(By the way, this is not me making fun of Tswift. I totally love that lady.)

Well, that was pretty much my face when The Everygirl told me they wanted to feature my little ol' apartment. I have been a huge, huge fan of both Danielle and Alaina's blogs for quite some time now. Receiving a compliment like that from two ladies who I've admired for so long had me literally leaping down the hallways at work. 

No, seriously. There was lots of leaping.

I just want to be honest with you guys because it's just not me to play it cool. I'm not cool at all. This is such a surreal experience for me, and I'm still not sure I'll believe it until tomorrow. Either way, I just wanted to remember this day because this process has reminded me that you should never discount yourself. Crazier things have happened than your dreams coming true.

Thank you, The Everygirl.

I hope you all will stop over tomorrow for a peek into my home.  Sending lots of love your way this week.

-C

{ Smile }

If you're not following The Everygirl's Pinterest yet, you should be. The Everygirl Smiles board has just about the sweetest, happiest photos you could ever dream of, and it's only just begun. These are a few of my favorites. Don't you already feel a little happier?

I definitely needed a little pick me up after a long, grueling day yesterday. I woke up, french pressed some coffee, made an omelet and am now getting dressed to head back to work. I have to leave in about 5 minutes and I'm still in my jammies so I suppose I better get on that.

Hope you all have the most wonderful day. lovelovelove.

-C

all photos via The Everygirl Smiles board

{ words for your week }

A wonderful past acting teacher used to say this in his classes, and I can't help but continue to refer to it long after I stopped acting. Especially in blogland, it is far too easy to look at other entrepreneurs or bloggers and become discouraged that you are not as far down a certain path as they are. We're only human, so I imagine these feelings won't ever completely subside, but I do imagine if we focus our energy on where we currently are and just continue to do our absolute best one day at a time (instead of constantly looking ahead at some mystified goal that we have created for ourselves) we will find that soon enough, we surpass our own expectations. 

Thanks so much for stopping in today, guys. I can't wait for a wonderful week of catching up with and being inspired by all of you. lovelovelove.

-C

{ words for your week }

The only real new years resolution that I set for myself this year was to stop apologizing for myself and the things I wanted. I'm a really easily embarrassed person and I really started to notice that this was causing some major compromises for the things that I wanted in my life. I started blogging in 2009, but it was really only this year that I started stepping outside of my comfort zone and tweeting/regularly commenting with other bloggers. Before then, I had told myself that if I tried to reach out and interact, I would look like a doofus. I just felt really insignificant and timid, which is something that I think many bloggers can relate to. But it wasn't just with blogging. There have been countless posts, tweets or advertisements about job opportunities/internships that I talked myself out of even applying for. Every time I saw something that sounded like a great opportunity I would silently and sub-conciously apologize to myself. "Sorry to disappoint you, I know that sounds amazing, but it's just not going to happen."

As I'm writing it out this all sounds rather dramatic, but it's really the truth of the matter. I just didn't realize it for so long because these thoughts and apologies became so habitual that I started not to even notice them anymore. But my frustration grew and grew as I continued to watch opportunity after opportunity pass by. Finally, I became tired enough of feeling like an audience member in my own life that I decided to change my attitude. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but at the start of this year, I made it my goal to stop apologizing, and start trying. 

I've surprised myself with how much this new thought process has changed my life. I take my goals and aspirations more seriously instead of just dismissing them, and whaddya know, because of that, it seems that others do too. A few weeks ago I applied for a summer internship with Jess Constable, designer and founder at Jess LC, Makeunder My Life and the Business with Intention Workshops. Interning with Jess was something that had been floating around in my head since I first discovered her in 2009, but I honestly never, ever thought it would happen. But it is. I'm going to Chicago in June to be her intern. This, coupled with a couple of other exciting things coming up, makes me feel like I must be reading someone else's blog or looking in at someone else's life. To some people, these opportunities may not seem monumental, but they are to me. They remind me that the first step to getting what you want is stop apologizing for it. 

{ Words for your week }

Good morning, everyone! I'm about to hit the road to Baltimore for Spring Break. Hopefully the eight hours of driving will go by quickly because I am so anxious to get there to see my sister and friends!

I love this Monday's "words for your week." We're all going somewhere, folks :).

I hope you have a very happy Monday. Be sure to check by the blog again for more goodies this week. Thank you all so much for stopping by. lovelovelove.

-C

Photo via Patterson Maker by Ben Watts Photography

{ Adam Levine's House Tour }

I'm always interested to peek inside men's homes to see how they're living. I found this space of Adam Levine's in Architectural Digest really interesting. I'm not sure I would have done it myself, but I do like the contrast of lux fabrics (hello, purple velvet tufted sofa) against more masculine elements like the wood paneled wall or the round velvet ottoman next to the dark grey walls and industrial style lamp.

Thoughts? 

Thanks for stopping in today, everyone. I'm off to brave the monsoon outside and walk to work. eeek! Wish me luck. lovelovelove.

-C

All photos via Architecture Digest

{ words for your week }

I am admittedly starting out my morning pretty stressed and with looming deadlines, so I'm finding it important to remind myself to acknowledge all of the things that will make me happy this week, no matter how stressful it may seem. So far I've gotten happy about waking up to my old/new living room rug (more on that later), the thought of the first sip of morning coffee, and thinking how nice it will be that Trevor will be staying in Cincinnati next quarter, so I won't have to miss him. Also, winter quarter is almost over.

What's making you happy today?

Thanks for stopping by everyone. lovelovelove. Send me a little luck for finals this week, will ya? ;)

-C

source

{ Life Lately}

It's been a little too long since I've done a "Life Lately" post so I thought today would be a good day to catch all of you up. I went to the bookstore the other day while waiting to get my oil changed, and sat and read these two books from Barnes and Noble about starting your own business. I love reading about entrepreneurship. It's so interesting and gets me all excited for what I hope will be my future. I've been REALLY wanting to read Creative, Inc. by Meg Mateo but they didn't have it in stock when I was at the book store. Has anyone read that yet?

Also. Those coral rimmed dishes? They're Calvin Klein, I found them at Tuesday Morning and wanted them so bad, but I couldn't justify the expense. Dang practicalities.

Thanks for stopping in today, everyone! Looking forward to catching up with all of your blogs this morning :)

lovelovelove.

-C

{ Faith }

Remembering this as I embark on my day. Go visit TheEverygirl to see the full feature. 

Enjoying breakfast, getting dressed, and marking things off of my to-do list. Hope you all have a beautiful day. Thank you so much for stopping by. lovelovelove.

-C

{ Let there be light }

I woke up this morning to a rainy, moody sky. While there are some times that I welcome a rainy day, today is one of those days that I MUST be productive and some sunlight would really be more encouraging than the pitter patter of rain hitting my window, urging me to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea for the rest of the day. 

Despite the gloom, I've rounded up some of my favorite light and bright spaces to get myself inspired for the day. Take a look:

{ beautiful blue and white tiles, not to mention those gold sconces }

{ Light streaming in from gorgeous windows. Colorful chairs and tufted sofa. }

{ A happy kitchen. I love how bright it feels with the painted white wood flooring and the cheerful green chairs. There is light bouncin' all over this joint. }

{ can you imagine those windows in your own home? }

{ Stunning black window panes }

Ah, that's better. Feeling a little more ready for the day. And hey, it stopped raining :).

Thank you all so much for coming by the blog today. lovelovelove to each of you.

-C

photo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5