Small Improvements

It's felt like a really long weekend.  We did go to Ikea on Friday, but I have to say I wouldn't recommend anyone else doing it the way we did -- in a snowstorm, without a car.  We took public transportation to get there, which usually isn't a big deal, but the two or three blocks we had to walk from the bus stop to the store felt more like two or three miles in the freezing temperatures and swirling snow.  Needless to say, the blue and yellow of Ikea's entrance beckoned to me like the gateway to paradise.

We ended up just getting a few things for around the house, & built the shelves ourselves on Saturday (well, Dave did, I just sat on the couch telling him if things looked level from where I was).

Ta-da!  Shelves over my desk/craft area!

I'm still in the process of finding the best places for everything, but it's a great start!  :)  It's such a relief to have the actual space of my desk open to work on.

I have a few pendants hanging on the cork board, & I just got some more frames & maps in the mail, so I'm pretty sure I'll spend Monday working on them.

I got frames for these CTA maps (previously they were just nailed into the wall, not cute).  I think they look pretty nice, now!

This whole area behind the couch is still "under construction".  I thought I would be building more shelves back there, for my books, but I'm not 100% sure yet...

Tonight I have a Yelp Elite event (yay!), and then I'm excited to watch Adele perform on the Grammys... I hope y'all had a fun weekend, and stayed warm!

A Small Change

Dave and I are working on a little living room re-arrangement.  So far, this is what we've got.  For anyone who doesn't know (anyone other than my Momma and my friend Marika, that is), the couch used to be against those two windows, and the TV was on the opposite wall.  It's not a huge change yet, but it feels a little more user-friendly this way.

Tomorrow, we're taking a trip to Ikea (yay!) to hopefully make a few nice updates.

For one, that blank wall behind the couch will hopefully have a bookshelf on it, if not by tomorrow, at least soon (because I can't stand having my books out of order).

There may or may not be potted plants involved.

Oh, and shelves over my desk-craft area!?  I hope so!

Air Plants & Big Bang Theory

I had a dream that I lived with the guys from Big Bang Theory

photo source bbtquotes.tumbler.com

and, they all agreed with me that I should fill an entire wall of my living room with air plants.

photo source cb2.com

Needless to say, it was the best dream ever.

Beautiful Design at the Art Institute, Chicago

LOVE!  This is my favorite part of visiting the Art Institute.

Humbled & Inspired

After the last two mornings of watching videos on the Tiny House Blog, I'm kind of ashamed of myself...  I've been crying and whining about how much I "need" a bigger apartment, how miserable the kitchen is in ours (in my defense, it's hot and has no window, so when you don't have air conditioning it can get a bit oppressive), how there's never any space for anything -- then I see things like a young man living in a 78-square-foot studio in Manhattan, or a family of three in a 320-square-foot home, and I realize how good we've got it.

My apartment is still tiny, yes, but after watching those videos, it feels palatial.  I'm also realizing how much stuff I have, and how so much of my time is consumed with having room and places for all of this stuff, but that's not the point of living small.... the point is to have less stuff, more time outside enjoying the city, and a closer relationship with my 'fella.  Or really, that wasn't the point, but maybe it will start to be.  Instead of complaining so much about how small and insufferable my apartment is, I want to look at it as a way of living simpler, greener, and a little more in tune with how, realistically, much of the world already lives.

On that note, I want to spend my day off (Yes, I have a WHOLE day off, folks!!  The first one in like twenty days...) giving away things I don't want/use/wear anymore, and then digging a little deeper into the things that I do want, but don't need to keep.  Let's see if I can get through the whole day without looking at domu.com?  ;)

What I'm Decorating... Little Things

Light blue paint inside the window frames, a more subtle color on my (least favorite) shelf, and plants in the living room window...

Thanks to Brooke for the paint samples I used on the window frames and the shelf!

Olivia is enjoying the sunshine, and seems to be smelling the sage... I hope she doesn't take a bite out of the leaves!

As for me, other than taking these pictures, I've spent the day blowing my nose & sniffling, coughing, and watching re-runs of 16 & Pregnant while eating salsa and drinking Vitamin Water.  I'm starting to feel better, finally!

What I Want... the Perfect Room

This is the stuff (my) dreams are made of.

Yes, yes, yes, I'll TAKE it!!

What I'm Decorating... Bathroom Cabinets

Okay, this is what they looked like when I cleaned them out (a long time ago),

fake-looking and highly unattractive "pseudo-wood" cabinets.

But ooh, look at them now!!

I'm in a bit of a green phase, yes?  Well, it's a pretty, fresh color, and it's much easier using the leftovers from the living room than buying a whole new can of paint in a different color.  Also, it probably ties the rooms together a little bit, and it's much more fun than whatever variation of white I might have picked up at the hardware store.  The walls are next...

What I'm Debating... Dresser (TV stand) Colors

I have a massive dresser in my living room that I'm using as a TV stand -- it's a small apartment, give me a break.  ;)  I'm trying to decide between more or less matching it to the wall color, or going with a bright, sunny yellow (which I also have in the tablecloth, on the opposite side of the room).  Decisions, decisions...

These are some pictures I found in various places, I'm hoping they will serve as inspiration for me.

Should I go with the same green as the wall:

Bright turquoise:

Or, sunny yellow?:

I like them all, and I really don't know what would be the best match for my living room.

What I'm Decorating... Living(/Dining) Room

Obviously, I am far from done in this room, but over the last week I've at least made a little more progress.  Can you see, from the photos, what I'm going for?  Preppy green and pink, fresh and refreshing, clean, cheerful, and fun!

This is the chalkboard dining table, now covered in an Old Navy scarf (until I can find a proper table cloth) to bring more fun color to this area of the room -- apparently the curtains and lamp shade aren't enough for me!

This is the pink sofa, covered in a light pink-purple blanket, with all of my Ikea pillows, and that odd maroon blanket that I hate the look of, but love the feel of.

Well, I really need to get proper drawer pulls for the dresser that serves as a TV stand in the living room...  the drawers are a fun blue-green, and the other color is the same "preppy" green as the walls.  I call this dresser the "cheeseburger in paradise", because it reminds me of Key West and Jimmy Buffet.  The top is still red, because I haven't been motivated to move the TV, VCR, Wii etc. to paint it.

I love my globe ($8 at a thrift store!), and although I would rather have all of my favorite books on display (some of them are still there), I decided instead to display all of the books with white/cream/light blue spines to make it look a little cleaner.  The little framed picture on top of the books will eventually be painted hot pink/lime green, I'm just waiting for a chance to go to IN to buy spray paint.  Yeah, seriously, you can't buy spray paint in Chicago...

My cat Olivia is terrified of that kitty pillow!  This was the Xmas Chair, but today I finally got around to unraveling the four strings of lights I had wrapped around it for the last 3 months.  I hung the phone on the wall, but need to do something with the cord.  The brown door that you can see just a slice of will eventually be painted a very light, creamy yellow.

What I want... this goofy-looking sofa

The shape of this thing is fabulous, so if I wanted to reupholster it, I could, and it would be even more adorable.  But honestly, after sitting on it for about five minutes, I decided I didn't really hate the weird pattern as much as I thought I did.  Its kind of cozy and comfy.  If all goes well, and no one buys it before me, this little gem might be mine-all-mine by Saturday.

This picture doesn't do it justice, which is fine, because I really don't want anyone else snatching it up before I can.

What I want... Blue Sofa

This is the most recent sofa that I love... its got to be the pretty blue that swayed me.

Photo thanks to Apartment Therapy

I saw this on Apartment Therapy, in one of my favorite house tours.  I've had my eye on this couch for a while, and this just made me want it more!

What I want... a bigger kitchen!!

The little kitchen that could...

See a little more of my teeny-tiny kitchen HERE, at Decorate, Eat & Repeat

Does anyone out there have suggestions for making this tiny little space even just a little bit more functional?  Is there something that I haven't thought of yet?  Any and all suggestions are appreciate!

Design & my Momma

I think it happened a little while after I moved to Chicago.  I had escaped a tumultuous (to say the least) relationship, and was suddenly and completely alone in this city.  I had to find an apartment, a job, and all the things around me that make my home.  I think that's when I started to gravitate towards my Momma's style.  Soft things, pretty things, light-colored things.  Where before my style had been extremely bold, dramatic, and more often than not, mismatched, I began to want the things around me that reminded me of her.  Because she couldn't be there to hold me, having things that looked like hers surrounded me like the hug she would have given me.

apartmenttherapy.com

etsy.com

etsy.com