{ Happy Weekend! }

Morning, everyone! Hows the day going? Glad that Friday has finally arrived? Even though it was technically a short week it seemed to drag on for.ev.er.

Currently, I'm enjoying some breakfast and watching re-runs of The OC. Judge me if you must, but I'm wishing I could do this all day instead of heading into work soon. So many deadlines, so little time. 

This weekend, I plan to relax, catch up with laundry (as per usual, it is my nemesis) and generally enjoy some time off, because if all goes well I'll be starting a second job soon which means my days off will go down to zero. I'll share the deets of it next week, when I'm sure its all going to happen! 

Okay lovelies, time to go get dressed. 

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

-C

Photos 1, 2

{ Inspiring Interiors }

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1. I would love to wake up and enjoy a leisurely morning of coffee and breakfast here. The simple, casual styling in this photo is a job well done. 

2. Gold & Mint. Everything I'm in love with right now is gold, pretty much. For serious. I want everything I touch to turn to GOLD. gold shoes. gold drinks. gold hats. gold cars. ANYWAYS. Throw this fun "mint" in the combo and I'm a happy camper. Plus, I've been pining over that pillow for months. Wunna these days it will be mine.

3. Simplicity. I love the beautiful towels that echo the light grey and crisp white on the walls, the subtle pop of deep maroon in the pretty blooms, the little silver/pewter-ish dish perched upon the soap bar, the mini gallery wall. Perfection.  

4. Adore this color palette. Soft peaches and pinks keep it light and feminine, yet the dark wood and cozy grey keep it down to earth. 

5. White subway tile from floor to the ceiling, and mismatched his&hers bathroom mirrors. So simple, yet so clever. What a fun touch.

Sadly, my cough/cold has only worsened since the last time I blogged. I fear it is here to stay forever. But that's probably pretty irrational. 

I'm headed to a long day of class and work, but thank you all so very much for stopping by today. I hope  today treats you well. 

lovelovelove.

-C

photos via : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

{California Dreaming}

These frigid temperatures are sure making me yearn for a little fun in the sun on the West Coast. I'd love a day in some cut offs, sunglasses, iced coffee, walks on sandy beaches, maybe a trip to Santa Monica Pier? Ah yes, I think that sounds just about perfect. In fact, the second to the last picture even has me imagining living there. Just look at that sun streamed kitchen, and the pretty lady with her cozy blanket, and cute yet casual ensemble. 

 I haven't been to California in about 3 and a half years, but all this talk makes me hope to go back veerrryyy soon. 

But! I suppose we have to work with what we've got. So perhaps I'll stay cozy with some cocoa until further notice. Sadly, I'm still feeling sick and was up all night coughing (whomp whomp) but hopefully this weekend will still bring some good times (with the help of some dayquil, tea and plenty of tissues)

Thank you all so much for stopping by today. lovelovelove.

-C

All photos via 

{Wanderlusting}

1. Rome

2. Ireland

3. The original Starbucks in Seattle

4. Madrid

5. Savannah, GA

I would just squeel with delight if I was on a plane en route to any of the above locations. I'm in a jetsettin' kind of mood. Maybe it's because Treasure and I are hoping to take a little trip to Louisville, KY for the night tomorrow, but we aren't quite sure if the weather will be on our side. I'll keep ya posted, but either way, my heart and mind belongs to a plane right now.

In reality, I'm also having a pretty lovely morning of a yummy breakfast, good coffee (I tried that Starbucks Instant Coffee for the first time this morning, and it's surprisingly delish!), Trevor is snoozing  for a bit longer while I get my daily fill of Live with Regis and Kelly and prepare for a day of class, loooots of work, and loooots of homework. Let's hope it's a productive day :).

I hope you all have a marvelous Thursday. Tell me, if you were to hop on a plane today, where would you go?

Thanks so much for stopping by. lovelovelove. 

-C

{ What I hope for in 2012 }

This looks like an amazing day. Working hard in a beautiful, light filled room surrounded by inspiring projects. In 2012, thats what I will strive for. Inspiration AND Action.

I'm feeling a bit under the weather today...I started to feel a sore throat coming on last night and this morning it has definitely arrived.

Luckily, my dear boyfriend is going to make me breakfast this morning...

Hopefully some hot tea will soothe whatever is happening over here. 

How is 2012 going for everyone else? Any big goals or aspirations? I love the feeling of a new year. So many possibilities.

 Thank you so much for stopping by. lovelovelove.

-C

Photos 1,3&4. Photo 2.

Apartment Tweaks

It's amazing what a little styling and a few extra details will do. My little entry table has been switched up a few times over the past 4 months. First, it was spruced up for fall, and then it transformed into Christmas, though I didn't snap any pictures of that (doh!), so for now, we'll just go with Fall:

Not terrible, but pretty sparse and boring if ya ask me. 

Thanks to a few new Christmas goodies and a little elbow grease, the entry table now looks a little somethin' like this:

Firstly, the little painted ee cummings quote was created based off of this beauty (created by the lovely woman in the picture):

See the process and her blog  here.

I saw this picture several months ago and fell in love with it. I've always loved this poem, and I thought this creative idea was a perfect blend between a painting and a print. I obviously did mine on a much smaller scale, but its perfect for my little table. I also added a page of colorful, graphic paper behind it in the frame to give it a little more interest. For the actual words, I just bought a little black bottle of acrylic paint from Walmart, and used a spongy eyeshadow applicator to write out the words. Easy as pie. I know it might not be everyone's cup of tea, and I admit that the larger scale painting packs a little more punch, but for my personal space, this fits perfectly. 

Other new additions: 

*The smaller lamp that lived on the table before is now living in my bedroom, and this new one was a hand me down from my mom, who probably got it from a thrift store. I love that it's all shiny and glossy and is a bit bigger in size. In person, the lamp shade is more off white and linen-y than it appears in the photo. 

*The awesome silver candle holder was gifted to me by my dear best friend Beth for Christmas, and I believe she picked it up at homegoods. I love it because even though it's a candle holder, it's also sculptural and shapely, so it adds a little something extra than a regular ol' candle. The yankee candle "Jack Frost" is currently burning in it right now, and it smells mm mm good.

*The Design Sponge book was also a generous Christmas gift from Trevor's parents, and I'm officially obsessed with it, as is the rest of the blogosphere (and for good reason!) I love sifting through it over and over again. Next to it is the Nate Berkus Home Rules book with the cover taken off (so it looks a little fancier :))

*Next to that is just a stack of magazines (mostly House Beautiful, Elle Decor, and Lucky) and a cute little bowl that I picked up a few months ago from Anthropologie for 8 bucks. I use it to throw my keys in mostly, but also my watch or a bracelet from time to time.

Lastly, I added a bedside table to my room! Hallelujah. The last time you all saw it, it was lookin a little something like this:

I actually really liked the little chair as the bedside table, but I really needed to use it elsewhere on a daily basis. Luckily, my mom was sweet enough to pick up this little guy for me at a resale shop, and painted it a glossy white with a little gold on it's feetsies at the bottom:

Sorry for the weird lighting and styling on the table. It seems a little awkward to have two candles on one table but I didn't realize it until after the photo was snapped! However, how lovely are those blooms? $3.99 at Trader Joes and they just make the whole room a little happier. Plus, I got to use my new copper vase from The Guild Shop. 

Anyway, that's all that's happening over here. It's amazing how the little things can make such a big difference. 

Now I'm off to get dressed and head to lunch with Trevor and a couple of friends. It's going to be a wonderful day :) Happy weekend, everyone! Thanks so much for stopping by. lovelovelove.

-C

{ It's in my blood }

Right before Christmas my mom began a makeover on this room (I know-crazy woman!) Doesn't it look incredible? It was done on a serious budget, and I only wish I had a before picture to show you, but I'll do my best to illustrate: 

Originally, the floors were stained, old, white carpet, and the walls were minty green.

She took up the carpet and prepped and painted the  concrete floors, adding a few throw rugs here and there to soften things up. The walls were painted Silver Sage (what else?) and read much grayer in this room than they do in my own apartment. 

She created the headboard using plywood cut at Home Depot, batting, and lovelyyy fabric from Jo-Ann's. Can I just say that throw pillows have grown outrageously expensive, and a DIY upholstered headboard in a fun print seems like a less expensive way to add some pattern and interest? I think the entire deal cost my mom around $40. It's not uncommon to see throw pillows priced for that or more, these days!

Throw in a couple of side tables that cost about 15 smackaroos each, white bedding with a colorful throw, white ikea curtains ( I swear I'll keep buying these no matter how much money I make) and you've got yourself an inexpensive, beautiful, sophisticated room.

So how about it y'all? Feeling inspired yet? I have a list of items and projects I want to get around to on my own apartment (like finally getting barstools, a desk chair, making some art for the walls, and a dresser for the bedroom) I'm trying to focus only on buying the things I know I'll use later, since I don't expect to be in this apartment or city much longer after May of 2013, but since I'll be craigslisting or thrifting most of these items, I also don't have to worry about throwing away tons of money. That's the beauty of being a cheap-o.

Thank you all so much for stopping by today! Hopefully we can now move forward with our regularly scheduled programming. lovelovelove.

-C