April to May

Updating the dry erase calendar is a fun little ritual I have each month. It's nice to look back over the highlights of the past few weeks before wiping the board clean (ah, bittersweet, sometimes), and writing in the new, upcoming events just adds to the anticipation! And anything that helps me feel a little more "together" and organized is a definite plus.

Can you believe it's May already?!

Spring cleaning

I hadn't planned to do a complete overhaul on my apartment this past weekend, but the Spring cleaning bug took over and I ended up going on a spree. However, I'm thrilled that I did! Steve joined in and we ended up giving our fridge a makeover, fully cleaning our bathrooms, and switching out all our wintery home decor (such as pillows, holiday scented candles, and flower vases filled with poinsettias) with spring accent pieces like lemon and "fresh cotton" scented candles and white hydrangeas.

Most notably, Steve took the initiative of cleaning out the outdoor closet on our balcony, which I had probably been too scared to look in for at least a year. Haha. I wasn't even sure what was in there anymore. He got rid of everything we didn't need and organized the stuff we wanted to keep. The closet looks twice as big now and has room to spare! He also set up a seating area out on the balcony, which I've been wanting to do forever. We're still keeping an eye out for some nicer (and affordable) patio furniture, but at least for now, he created a fully functional area with stuff we already had around.

We decided to spend the evening out there with a bottle of wine and some snacks, chatting and listening to music. The weather was perfect. I'm so glad it's Spring!
 

 Steve found my old coffee table in the outdoor closet, so that provided an easy table for now. Plus, I finally have somewhere to use this floral fabric.

 

 The life!

 Chilled Pinot Grigio (I highly recommend The Naked Grape!) and jalapeno poppers. You know...health food. :)

Have you done any sort of "Spring cleaning" this year?

Little Things That Make Me Smile...

The new way we're staying organized through wedding planning, theater productions, work, being sick, and any other craziness that comes our way. PLUS, a cute little reminder of Valentine's Day on the 14th. :)

A new lamp (Walmart, $39.99) that creates a little reading corner in the living room.

Adding a romantic touch to the bedroom with a new piece of artwork (Target, $16.99).

One of my favorite combos: Champagne and Marachino cherries. I love how they look like little balloons in the glass when they flip over!

Bedroom bliss

Taking a quick break from wedding planning, work, and preparing some stuff for tax season (I swear, everything happens at once, doesn't it?). Half a tuna sandwich and a home brewed cup of coffee should work for a little pick-me-up!

I wanted to show off the newest addition to my apartment - new bedding! It's been GREAT to fall into at the end of these long days lately!

 Steve and I unexpectedly found these sheets at the Bridal Show last weekend. They were $55! Unheard of for a 1500 thread count! We couldn't pass it up. Check out www.pmdesignercollection.com if you'd like to pick some up yourself!

 Duvet cover and pillow shams (from IKEA, $39.99) that I'd been wanting forever (yay for Christmas money)! I love the Colonial-style floral pattern. We're hoping to achieve sort of a romantic/old Hollywood look for the bedroom. I've already added a couple black and white framed photos of Marylin Monroe. We'd like to continue that trend with people like James Dean, Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood (some of Steve's choices), and some other female actresses of the time, like Audrey Hepburn. I think it will be a gradual process of adding/finding art, but so worthwhile! I am also thinking of painting the room a periwinkle color.

 I love the buttons that keep the pillow shams closed!

This morning. Comfy! One of the candles my sister bought me for Christmas (on my nightstand) matches perfectly!

How would you build your ideal bed?

Bridal Fever

The newest accent on my bedroom wall.

I know I've been a very bad blogger lately. I've been knee-deep in doing research for wedding venues. It's amazing how quickly you get sucked into this world of overwhelmed-ness! It's fun and amazing, but it's quite an undertaking. Especially when you're on a budget! Oh how I long to be a celebrity right about now.

I'll try to share any "brilliant" budget-saving tips I come up with during the process (still waiting...) in case anyone else out there is in the midst of wedding planning! However, I swear I will try my best to not make this an obsessed and/or gag-worthy wedding blog.

I'll be back soon with some fashion ideas from stuff I wore over the holidays as well as some general Christmas nostalgia from my vacation. Hope you're having a great week!

WICKed tips for candles

I came across these great tips for getting the most out of your candles on "Shine - from Yahoo" the other day. I have gotten to where I really love collecting candles and lighting them regularly to create a mood, but I was definitely uninformed about a lot of this stuff! Hopefully these tips will help you out, too.

10 amazing tips for getting the most out of candles in your home

1. Before lighting it for the first time, trim the wick of your candles to 1/2 inch to ensure the flame burns evenly and prevent soot from accumulating.

2. The general rule of thumb is that you leave a candle lit one hour for each inch in diameter (tea lights are the exception to this rule). For example, for a four-inch wide pillar candle, you should light the candle for four hours on your first use. Once the wax pools close to the edge of the candle, blow it out and allow the wax to cool and solidify. You can re-light it once the wax has cooled. This will ensure that your candle maintains its original shape and will prevent it from dripping or spilling over.

3. If using multiple hurricanes or votive holders, make sure there is no glass to glass contact and ideally keep your candle holders at least three inches apart.

4. The jury's still out on the validity of this one - but many candle aficionados claim that storing your candles in the fridge or freezer will ensure a slow and even burn (in my experience this works!).

5. Add half a teaspoon of water to the bottom of your tea-light holders before adding the tea light candle to protect the holder from excessive heat and make cleaning much easier.

6. Candle wax can be a real pain to remove from candle holders. For easy removal, put your candle holders in the freezer for a couple hours, then gently press the wax with a spoon. The wax will literally 'pop' off, leaving a clean surface.

7. Do not burn candles in glass containers that are cracked, chipped or damaged - these can be a fire hazard!

8. An easy tip to light candles if you don't have any extra-long matches or a barbecue lighter is to use a (raw) piece of spaghetti.

9. To remove wax from fabrics or carpeting, let any spilled wax solidify so that when it hardens it can easily be removed in pieces. Place a bag of ice cubes in a plastic bag on top of the wax to harden it, then use a spoon or butter knife to scrape off the excess wax. To remove any wax residue left behind, spread a damp cloth (some recommend a brown paper bag) over the wax stain then use an iron on low heat on the cloth/bag. The iron against the damp cloth will create steam which will suck the wax right into the cloth.

10. I'm sure I don't need to mention this one - but never (never!) leave the house or leave candles burning unattended. 

By Sharalee Mushore | Chatelaine – Thu, 1 Dec

Season's Greetings

Happy December! I couldn't think of a more perfect day to head to Target (where I had some birthday gift cards to spend!) and get some holiday accents for the apartment. We still need to get a tree and decorate it, but it is definitely feeling a bit more festive in here. It felt nice to trade my regular flowers for poinsettias and spring colored pillows, etc. for richer pieces and cozy textures.

 It's easy to make an affordable holiday center piece for your table! I came up with this totally on the fly this afternoon. I bought this silver, square tray for just $1.99 at Target, and filled it with little items I already had: Christmas balls, cinnamon sticks, a fake poinsettia flower that had fallen off a bouquet, and one un-eaten candy cane from last year. I received these two "Seasons Greetings" cards in the mail as samples, along with a card catalog from The Gallery Collection. I saved them, thinking they might be useful for decorating, and I'm glad I did!

This candle is so pretty, I almost don't want to light it....or take it out of the cute wrapping! Target, $5.99 (candle only. I already had the stand).

 Switched out my spring-like bird pillow in favor of this green one, which I used to have on the bed.

 Vases are now filled with red and white.

 I finally found a wintery pillow that I really liked! Target, $14.99

More poinsettias (Target, $3.99) on the mantel, along with some great retro portrait books a friend gave me for my birthday.

 I've had this clock for years, but I love it even more around Christmas time.

What are you doing to make your space a more festive place?? 

Tonight, I am going with Steve to his company Christmas party. I feel like a real adult! ;)

"Apples, peaches, pumpkin pie..."

Time for some serious healthier eating. My body is hating me from 2 weeks of too much greasy junk foods and a slight excess of Oktoberfest beer and acidic cocktails (I seem to go through this cycle, don't I?). I decided to begin by stocking the kitchen with fresh produce, including these fruits, whose colors seem very reminiscent of Fall foliage. Perfect.

Little Things That Make Me Smile...

So, I've sort of had chicken-with-my-head-cut-off syndrome lately (i.e. running around like crazy), but I've still been appreciating some of the little things that perk up my day. Blogging about it has been harder to squeeze in, but it's about time I mentioned a few:

 

 Large purple sunglasses for just $5 at Burlington Coat Factory.

Miniature books from the "Dummies" series on wine and cheese. They have since become a humorous addition to the mini-bar shelf in my dining room.

Not being ashamed to "dumpster dive". It's amazing great stuff I've found thrown out at my apartment, just sitting next to the dumpsters (there's no way I'm actually diving into a dumpster). I couldn't pass up this leather chair which, aside from needing a little patching, was in good condition and perfectly clean. No shame! I now have a much-needed extra armchair. Plus, I think everyone needs a little leather in their home. :P

Biscotti (unexpectedly slipped into our to-go order at Macaroni Grill the other night!) with coffee....for breakfast. :)

Equinox

I'm a little late, but: It's officially Fall! What are your wishes for the season?
Mine might be to have this lovely set up every single day. Actually, I think I'll just wish for something simple...cooler weather here in Texas.

Pick me ups

"Just-a-little-too-far-for-comfort-from-the-weekend-Wednesday" seems like a perfect day to focus on my favorite things to get me through a long work day, when I just can't seem to find the energy or motivation to get anything done.

 A bright new manicure.
I am loving this coral color, "blazed" from Wet n' Wild. I haven't bought any nail polish by them since I was about 17 years old, because it always seemed to chip after just a day or two. This was the exact color I was looking for, so I gave it a try any way. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it stays looking great for 3-4 days, and decent-looking (a.k.a. chips you can get away with) for about 5 days. Yay!

Wearing something fun to "the office".
Ok, so I work from home. But either way, some days it's fun to wear something that makes you feel good, even if you aren't going out. And if you do go to an office everyday, and you tend to wear the same, drab business wear, spice it up a bit! The easiest way is to add some color! You'll feel a little happiness every time you remember how cute you look today. :)

4pm coffee + dark chocolate .
Ok, so I ate my three dark chocolate Hershey's Kisses before I snagged a photo, but I promise you, they were there. They are a great little snack to keep around, and a somewhat healthy alternative to get your chocolate fix. The other day, I was really dragging and not feeling good at about 4pm. With two and a half hours to go until my boyfriend got home, more work to finish, and knowing I had some going-out plans ahead of me that night, I needed a boost. I brewed some coffee, curled up in my "girl-throne" (a.k.a. my big arm chair) for a few minutes and enjoyed my little luxurious snack before getting back on task, feeling much better.

A new atmosphere.
We recently got this great canvas of the Flat Iron building in New York City for the living room (IKEA, $149). It's HUGE, and I'm so glad to have that big wall finally filled with some art. It adds even more of a vintage/urban feel to the place, and I love the way the black and white goes with our green accent wall. We've only had it about a week, so it's definitely providing a pick-me-up everyday to be working in what feels like a brand new room. If you work in an office, try adding something new to decorate your work space! If you work from home as well, see if you can find a cute little piece of art, a flower vase, a new throw blanket for your sofa...whatever! Just a little accent piece to brighten your place and add a touch of "new-ness" can make you a bit more happy to be working in the same space day after day.


What special things do you use to get you through the work week??

New Routines

 Favim.com

 I feel totally beat up from my kickboxing workout yesterday evening (isn't it the bag that's supposed to feel that way?), but it kind of feels amazing at the same time. I'm on my way to some serious toning, I think (hope)!
I've gotten on a sleep schedule where I'm waking up about the same time Steve does to get ready for work, which is nice. Today, he blasted some music while we did our morning routines; he got ready and I took the dog out and made coffee. I need to remember to put music on more often when I wake up and do the little things I do to feel human again (face washing, teeth brushing, and of course, making my first cup 'o coffee). It gives the morning a whole new atmosphere and makes me feel energized. Steve's gone, but I'm continuing the change of routine with some Pandora. I decided to try some stations I wouldn't usually think of, all with upbeat music, to broaden my horizons a bit and keep that "new" atmosphere going.Woo!

This has actually been a really great week. On Tuesday, my girl Kady and I went up to Georgetown and spent the afternoon looking at the shops on their historic downtown square (antique and second hand stores mostly) and grabbed lunch at a quaint little tea room, where I had chilled cucumber soup - SO good. Add some fresh raspberry iced tea and half a chicken salad sandwich, and you get the whole little Texas town experience. Loved it. I have resolved to go back another time and spend some time at the winery there, which we just stopped into for a brief look. Very cool place. Wine tastings, here we come. Next time, for sure. This time, however, I brought back a great casual dress from Express (second hand, $13) and a love-at-first-sight Norman Rockwell print from a little art gallery, which depicts a Hollywood-looking movie star (she doesn't look unlike someone we all know...?) surrounded by reporters (with matting, but no frame, $25). It's a perfect vintage touch for the apartment. I just need to find the perfect place to put it and buy a frame (I like to look for interesting/inexpensive ones at thrift stores).

Lunch at Laurie's Tea Room. I'm cursing myself for not taking more photos while I was out and about in Georgetown.

Currently, I just have the print leaning on top of my little side table by the couch.

The weekend promises to keep me busy as well. I have an audition Saturday and a film shoot Sunday evening. Tell me about your week!

Bedroom: Before and After

I tackled the challenge of totally cleaning out and organizing my bedroom recently. It's been taking me a while to decide what I want to do with the room, decorating-wise, but I knew having it de-cluttered would probably help with some inspiration and make the space more livable in the meantime! It was actually very therapeutic to go through every drawer and come across so many mementos from my past. I'm a really sentimental person, so I don't like to throw much away. I was proud of how much I actually decided to let go of though, and the rest (which, admittedly, was still a lot) went into the large keepsake boxes in my closet. My boyfriend actually has a full nightstand drawer to himself now!

So, the goal was really to clean out or store things I don't use often and make the things I do use more accessible and organized. In addition to that, I finally moved my big, long work table into the guest room, which I had used as my desk back when I used to do packaging/distribution tasks as part of my job. Since then, it more accurately became a place to dump junk that I didn't know what else to do with. Not cute. There really wasn't space for it in my room anyway, but I didn't have anywhere else to put it until recently. In its place, we put a TV table that we obtained for free (we are going to line it with fabric to cover the clinical-looking legs) and a small filing cabinet - perfect for organizing all the important papers that were cluttering up my desk!

The room looks so much more open and clean. I'm really happy with it. Here are some before and after shots:

 An eyesore of a work table (with inventory boxes from work underneath! Ack.), and the clutter 

made its way over to my dresser as well.

My dresser is now just that: a dresser. And no more squeezing furniture where it doesn't really fit!

 This tray used to be over on the desk that belongs to my bedroom set, filled with dust and random stuff I never even used. I cleaned it all out and used it to organize the beauty products and jewelry that used to be strewn all over my dresser. It works perfectly, and there's even a place to hold my sunglasses.

 My actual bedroom desk can now be used as a desk. I hope to find some more attractive things to fill the shelves, as we begin re-decorating the room. 

 I do like the area where I have notebooks, journals, and small keepsake boxes, plus my place card from a wedding

reception I attended a couple years ago.

I got this accent pillow from Target a few months ago with the intention of putting it on the sofa. Steve and I decided it looked much better on the bed. The cream and brown bedding, while sort of calming, will 

definitely be going away when we re-decorate.

Just over the last few days, I think Steve and I have settled on an absolutely gorgeous idea for how we want to decorate the bedroom. I'm really excited about it. It probably wont be done for a couple months, but I'll be sure to post about it as soon as it's photograph-worthy!

So, what do you think? Have you tackled any crazy organizing jobs lately? I need all the stay-organized tips I can get. Hope your Friday goes by quick and you have a fabulous weekend! xx

Project Paint

This past weekend, we finally got around to painting the accent wall in the living room, which we'd been talking about forever.
When Steve first mentioned the idea (yes, I have a boyfriend who actually gives a care about how the apartment looks and even comes up with fun ideas), I immediately pictured a calming, yet strong, dusty blue color. We picked up color samples one night and spent a good amount of time holding them up to the wall, looking at them in the day time and night time, and discussing which shades we liked best. It became clear pretty quickly, that with all the other blue we had in the room by this time, that a blue wall was just not the way to go. I've never wanted the room to look too matchy-matchy, and we really wanted this accent wall to be a true accent. A paint epiphany hit me. "Um. You know...I think we need to go green", I said, with a slight lump in my throat, as Steve had expressed his dislike of certain greens the other night while we were picking out blue paint cards. To my surprise, he agreed! A few nights later, we went and added some green color samples to our collection of paint cards, most of them being sort of a bright, minty green. After much calculating and discussion (and a few glasses of wine), we settled on "First Green Season" by Colorplace.

Since I'm one of the most clumsy people that ever lived, I was pretty ok with letting Steve do most of the work. My one attempt at helping turned into me smearing paint onto the edge of the adjoining wall (which was not to be painted). Oops. I gave up at that point. Thank goodness for water-based paint. ;) Steve did such a great job, and it was only later that he confessed how nervous he was that he was going to mess something up.

Dawson spent most of the afternoon crying (even with a treat in his mouth), because he was blocked from the living room with chairs. Haha.

The finished product:

 I highly suggest that you go pick up this white, "Fresh Cotton" scented candle (the one that's lit) from Walmart (only $3.00!) before Summer is over. It smells amazing, and it's not too sweet or too strong. We love it!

 I don't think I ever showed off my new bird pillow from Target, and this is my brand new summer fedora (Sasha, on sale for $6.99). Love!!

Ok, so what do you think of our new paint job? Even if you think it's hideous, I'd love to hear your opinions! Our next step is to finally get some art up on that wall. I can't wait!