{ sick day }

happy thursday, everyone. i hope your week is treating you well! i woke up with a super sore throat/cough thing (which i believe i picked up from trevor who was sick with the same thing just two nights ago) so i'm taking it easy this morning before delving into a productive afternoon.

hope you all have a great day. i'll see you back here tomorrow!

lovelovelove.

C

{photo via}

{ design inspiration: american horror story master bedroom}

Have you guys seen American Horror Story? Probably so, because for a while there I swear it was all the rage. I finally watched a marathon of it last winter with Alaina, and while I can't say I'm a huge fan of the show (although I couldn't stop watching it - why is that?!) I was a huge fan of this master bedroom.

Well, mainly the bed. And those sconces. But I couldn't stop staring at that damn bed. And then this morning the bed happened to pop into my mind and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. 

Here's the thing. Trevor and I are basically sleeping in a boat. Except it's not as cool as it sounds. See, Trevor had this cheap-o Ikea bed (which I'm not hating on - I love Ikea and they have great deals on bed frames) but it's been put together and taken apart several times now, and again, while I love Ikea, their furniture just isn't really made to live forever as a family heirloom if yaknowwhatimsaying.

So the bed is broken but we semi put it together anyway thinking that it was fixable. 

Long story short, it broke again. Our mattress is now living inside the bed frame but on the FLOOR, which means you have to crawl out of it in the morning like your sleeping in a friggin canoe.

We haven't fixed the situation yet because we just can't spend the money right now, but oooo how I can dream. And when I dream, I dream of a bed like the one in American Horror Story. Although if I'm being totally honest with myself, we probably don't need anymore big leather pieces in our apartment. We sort of have a lot.

But its just so pretty.

{and so is he}

There really aren't many budget friendly options for a looker like that one, but here's a few on the web that I found enticing:

I like the profile and lines of this guy from Restoration Hardware - but maybe not quite enough to invest in it (not that that's an option at the momentttt).

I would probably prefer cleaner lines and I'm not in love with any of the leather options, but this Ballard Designs guy is definitely more budget-friendly than the rest.

Another option from Restoration Hardware. Definitely the closest match to the one in the TV show. Especially if you order it in Old Saddle Chestnut...

mmm mmm good.

Alrighttt, I'll get over it now. I'm happy to have somewhere to sleep. I'm off to get a bit more work done. Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! Thanks so much for stopping in. 

lovelovelove.

-C

{ scenes from a weekend in new york }

 hi guys! how was your holiday weekend? i must say, if spending some quality time with a few of my favorite ladies in the world wasn't enough, it was even more splendid to spend it in the beautiful city of new york. 

i hadn't been to the city for anything other than to "take care of business" for quite some time, and though i went in fairly often when i was growing up (its just a three hour drive from baltimore), i felt like i was seeing it with fresh eyes this weekend. i admit, its nice to be on the east coast again.

that being said, im ready to dive into a productive week, filled with work, workouts, and some downtime with trev. it's good to be home :).

happy monday, y'all! thanks so much for stopping in. 

lovelovelove.

C

{all photos via my iphone  - follow me on instagram here}

{ new york, new york }

Happy 4th of July everyone! I couldn't think of a better place to celebrate how lucky I am to be an American than New York City, so I'm off! I'll be indulging in plenty of fireworks, lady talk, and cocktails and I am ridiculously excited for it all.

 Hope you all have a wonderful day.

lovelovelove.

C

{photo source}

{ patio styling on a budget }

Nothing says summertime like cocktails on a patio. That being said, furnishing and styling an outdoor space can be a pricey venture for something that many of us only use a few months out of the year. But lately I've found quite a few budget-friendly pieces around the web that I thought I'd share with you.(Despite the fact that I do not have an outdoor space. i'll just have to live through you guys.)

Btdubs, those chairs are my current obsession. Can you BUH-LIEVE they're Ikea? Me either y'all. Read on for the rest of the source list - enjoy!

PATIO STYLING ON A BUDGET SOURCE LIST:

CHAIRS: Ikea // $99/each

TABLE: Ikea // $149

RUG: Target // $74.99 - $265.99

HURRICANE CANDLE HOLDERS: Target // $14-16

PAPER LANTERN: World Market // $16.99 for set of 4

NAPKINS: Target // $9.99

FLATWARE: World Market // $11.96 for set of 4

BOWLS: One Kings Lane // $39 for set of 4

WINE GLASSES: One Kings Lane // $39 for set of 6

WINE: Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc {my summer favorite!}

WOVEN BASKET: World Market // $59.99

ARTIFICIAL PLANTS: Ikea // $4.99 each

{ on a boat }

One of my favorite ways to wake up is with coffee and AirBnB. I could (and do) literally spend hours perusing all of the adorable little cottages, castles, seaside villas - you name it. My wanderlust is in full swing right now (I think it's something about summer) and when I happened across this quaint little houseboat in Amsterdam this morning, I was wishing I could click the "Book It" button and hop on the next plane over. Mostly because I think the simplicity of a little boat (not too decorated or with too much fuss) with all of the essentials (like a sweet outdoor space to enjoy the canal) sounds like the perfect place to get inspired.

Ah...one day, folks. Have any of you tried AirBnB? I haven't yet, but I plan to the very next chance I get.

lovelovelove.

C

{ design inspiration: the bun shop }

I've mentioned it before, but my love of a good coffee shop just can't be expressed enough. No matter how organized and inspirational I try to keep my home office, a change of scenery is always appreciated.

The Bun Shop is a quaint little coffee shop that opened up in Mt. Vernon just a couple of months ago, and it's definitely on my list of favorites at the moment. The charcoal grey walls, the well curated furniture collection, the terrariums, the gold beams and big windows all make for a pretty inspirational coffee break.

This place is actually a big part of what inspired me to go dark in our little bathroom. Is it just me, or does moving and decorating seem to speed by in the beginning, before coming to a sudden halt? We haven't made much additional progress on our home in the last week, (still trying to get my little plan approved by my other half and figure out our budget ;) ) but just taking a walk around the neighborhood gets me inspired to keep going.

Happy Monday to all of you! Thanks so much for stopping in.

lovelovelove.

C

{all photos via The Bun Shop's Facebook page}