I'm a nerd.

I'm going tonight to see Harry Potter for the second time and I'm so excited! If you haven't gone and seen this movie, you should. There's so much more emotional depth in this one so those of you who might not be Potter fans, don't worry, it's not a typical Potter movie.

Plus it doesn't hurt that Harry is kinda beautiful... :)

Stripe-tastic!

Aren't stripes the best? They're simple, playful, and will never go out of style. I'm just in a stripe kind of mood today so here's some interiors that used stripes to their advantage.

Fall Fever

It's that time of year where I'm sick of summer and I just want fall to get here. I'm craving maple leaves, scarves, and tweed. Here are some interiors that fill me with that fall fever!

B & W

I need some Black and White simplicity today. Enjoy!

Steph's Apartment

This post is for one of the few who actually comment on my posts, my friend Steph . She's moving to Little Rock in a month to live in an awesome loft apartment. I've been collecting photos for her to give her ideas on what to do with those large ceilings, exposed brick, and open floor plan (yeah, she's really suffering). Here are some ideas...

Those large walls don't need to stay blank forever, so start collecting drawings, posters, and artwork that you can collect together to form a focal wall.

Storage is difficult in open spaces so a set of wall-mounted shelves could be very useful.

Separate your space into different sections. Use every inch by designating living, dining, and office space through the use of visual barriers. In the picture above, the couch acts as a visual barrier between the office and living space, but doesn't block off the open feel of the room.

Since painting the walls is usually a no-no for renters, let your furniture and accessories pop with color. Add warm woods and fun accent pieces to really make the room feel lively, even if the walls are not.

Apartment kitchens are usually the size of a broom closet, so make the most out of the space by lifting things off the counters. Instead of a knife block set, use a magnetic strip or hang your hand towels from hooks for easy access. Also, keep your color palette simple in the kitchen. That way your food will take center stage.

I hope this has helped not only Steph, but anyone else dealing with tricky apartments. Anyone else have good ways to spruce up a blank apartment?

Quote of the Day

I probably won't do daily quotes, but I came across this one and I really want to soak it in.

Let Down

This is me let down.

Ok, so I ordered that adorable jacket online and I get an email this morning saying they checked the order and the jacket was "no longer available" in that size. What a let down! I was actually REALLY excited about online ordering, but I guess this is a slap in the face. Maybe some day I will try online shopping again, but right now I'm sorely disappointed. 

Online Shopping

My friend, Steph, and I had a discussion the other day about online shopping... she's for it, I'm against it. I usually have the worst luck with things fitting right when I order online and she's got all the luck. But last night I was sitting on Old Navy's website and came across this really cute jacket.

And I needed a light jacket for the fall and it just looks precious! And it was on sale! (I hardly ever by things full price.) So I took the plunge and put in my credit card number. So now I'm waiting... and in about 9 days I should know if my online shopping experience was good or bad. I'll post pics when I get it in! Do any of you have a good or bad online shopping experience that you'd like to share?

Bedrooms

I'm tired of sleeping on a couch. I've been sleeping on the one downstairs so my head can stay elevated and it's getting old. Here are some pictures of dreamy bedrooms that make me miss my own.

"Extraction"

Image via flickr

Yep, today I'm getting my wisdom teeth "extracted". Extracted just means they'll be taken out, but I hate that word! That word alone adds a whole new level of pain. But I'm going to face the surgery like I would a car wreck. I'd rather not know it's going to happen so I don't have time to think about the pain. It will just happen. I'm trying not to think about the pain, puffiness, and lack of hard foods, but just about the lovely drugs that will follow the "extraction".  And due to those lovely drugs, I won't be posting soon for fear of what will be typed...

Anyone else have painful, funny, or painfully funny stories about surgery or "extractions"?

Dorm Goodies

My roommate, Shannon, and I are moving into a new dorm and into the largest room (!!!) in there so we're uber-excited! We'll have lots of room and hardly anything to fill it with so we've been looking into new items and here are a few possibilities.

We threw out our old shower curtain last semester so this will be it's replacement.

Target

We're probably the only college girls who do not already have paper lanterns. We'll get several to either put in mass or spread around the room.

Paper lantern store

I just really like this pillow.

Pier 1

More seating is needed and we'll actually have room for it!

Target

And I'd like to do some large artwork to break up the big walls. Something with simple lines like this piece would be good.

BHG

I'll definitely post pictures when we get moved in! Anyone else have cool ideas for dorms?

Plan for the Upstairs

My parents just got back from their trip to Scotland and spent a bit more than they expected so the plans for repainting and wallpapering the downstairs are put on hold. The upstairs, however, is our new target. Since we'll be doing the painting ourselves this summer, we can also redo the floors in the fall. We're going to paint all the woodwork white (it's a dark stain now that sucks up light) and paint the walls in soft neutrals. The windows are small up there so the lighter the color, the better. Now the tough decision, what neutral color? I just recently painted the bathroom a light gray-blue (Silver Lining by Medallion) and we're thinking about extending that into the hall and TV room. There are two bedrooms upstairs and we'd like to warm tones in them. Here are some images that might give you a feel for the look we're going for.

Domino

BHG

BHG

BHG

BHG

You guys got any ideas or images that could help me out?

The Garage

Many of you probably have that one room in your house that you steer clear of. Well at my house it's the garage. Every time we pull our car into it we just hang our heads in shame. Every year we vow to clean it out and get it organized... and every year we break that vow. So this year (as usual) I am going to try to clean and organize that sucker so that my dad can actually get his car into it without the fear of scratches. These next few images are inspiration to help spur me on!

Images via Better Homes and Gardens

Anyone else have inspiring organizational before and afters or even those dreaded to-do items that never get done?

One Year Ago...

One year ago I lived here...

Ate these...

Traveled with them...

And called this city home.

I miss Florence so much. I lived there for a month and a half while traveling throughout Italy. I never knew I could love a city so much, especially one as lively as Florence. I have some amazing memories from that trip that I wouldn't trade for the world! The trip was offered through our Art Department at Harding and I jumped at the chance to go. Our group consisted of 13 people; 10 female art students, Mrs. Cindy (an art teacher), Mrs. Keller (Queen Bee), and Dr. Keller (the only male, bless his soul). This was my first time out of the country and I really didn't know many people in the group. Needless to say, by the end of the trip we were all one big family. I miss how everyday was an adventure and now days, everything is so dull. Oh well, I guess I'll just relive it all through my pictures. Hopefully someday I can go back and enjoy it all over again. Ciao!