office ponderings

I'm taking a little wedding planning break this week - well, until our venue appointment on Saturday - to focus on other things. Things like our future home. Or, more specifically, my our future office.

I don't work from home and I don't really have the kind of job that requires me to do much once I leave my company's loft office with the big windows overlooking the mountains in Washington state. So, technically, I don't need a home office. Buuuuutttttt my hubby-to-be *does* need an office. And since he's such a sweetheart, so he's offered to share it with me. So this week I'm on a home office kick.

He'll get most of it, because he actually needs it, but that hasn't stopped me from scheming up lots of fun decorating ideas for my part.

I've decided that 2012 will be the year of "W" - wedding and writing. I'm not sure what I'll write yet (a novel? freelance articles? boring blog posts nobody reads?) but I can tell you that I'll be writing in a cozy, creative little corner of our love nest. I'm in love with this print and have added to my "must have" list of office goodies...

I'm Kind Of A Big Deal print, $19 from ParandaCreations 

Dinner Party Dishes

I got a beautiful Valentine's Day card in the mail the other day from my sweet Momma and along with a little love note reminding me how adored I am she also included a gift card to Winners. Winners, for those of you who are just starting to get to know me, is pretty much my favorite store on the face of the planet. I could (and often do!) spend HOURS just browsing through their selection of clothes, photo frames, artwork and shoes - oh! The shoes. You know, about 3 weeks ago I was in Winners and I found a pair of black Stuart Weitzman heels for $70 and they were a perfect fit and I didn't buy them and I am STILL regretting it.

*sigh* But this post isn't about shoes. It's about dishes. I used the gift card my Mom sent me to buy these beauties -

Aren't they lovely?! When I moved into my apartment, my roommate and I had very little in terms of dishware and furniture so everything we acquired was second-hand. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining - we not only managed to furnish our entire apartment for next to nothing, but everything pulled together really well and the decor is cute. Our dishes, though, are kind of bland. They're off-white with a light green rim ... practical, but not particularly stylish. My intent was to use the Winners gift card to buy some new jeans but when I walked into the store and saw this dish set, my heart was smitten.

I bought a set of 4 plates and 4 bowls. Yes, it was a bit of a splurge but I just love them and I love the idea of serving my guests on pretty dinnerware. I'm already planning the menu for a little dinner party in the very near future. :)

Have you splurged on anything recently?

dreaming of a fireplace mantle

My friend Meaghan has a fireplace in her bedroom. This makes me ridiculously jealous because I LOVE fireplaces and to have a fireplace in the bedroom of all places would just be a home decor dream come true for me! The real kicker, though, is that her fireplace has a mantle and on the mantle she has, among other things, a large framed black and white photograph of Miss Audrey Hepburn taken during the filming of the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. *Oh, be still my heart.*

I've been daydreaming about my own fireplace mantle - which, mark my words, I will someday have even if I have to buy one of those "fake" fireplaces from Home Depot - ever since and trying to decide which black and white photo I'd embellish it with. Today I was browsing through blogs and stumbled across a post by Roxy on photographs taken from the New York Times (see here). One thing led to another and I soon found myself on the New York Times Store website where you can actually buy "exhibition-quality" prints of photos that have appeared in the newspaper throughout the years. Being the proud New Yorker at heart that I am, I immediately fell in love with several of the shots especially the one of the Brooklyn Bridge at night, taken in 1971 by John Soto (here). Unfortunately, the print sells for $199.00 and that is just WAY out of my budget.

Luckily, I've taken some pretty great shots of New York over the years and London Drugs will blow up a photo for less than $20. I'm leaning towards having this one blown up to 11 x 14" and putting in a simple white frame -

It won't grace a fireplace mantle anytime soon (boo!) but I'm sure I can find a temporary home for it in my living room. Maybe I'll even pick a few favorite travel photos and make a cluster of photos, like this -

Photo Credit - Mekorah.com

I could put the taxi photo in the middle and then four smaller photos from other cities I've visited on either side. Don't ya just love it when you find creative ways to get the decor look you want at more than half the price?!?

If you're looking for creative, inexpensive ways to showcase your photos, I found this post really inspiring! Photos are such a great way to decorate a place and make it "yours" without dropping a small fortune and if you happen to change your mind a lot (as I do) you can just print out new photos for a whole new look! Love it.

a home for my books

I've been doing a lot of reading lately and now have books scattered everywhere. There are books on my floor, books on my desk, books on our coffee table in the living room. There are books in the kitchen, books in my closet, books in the hallway. (OK, no, there aren't really books in my hallway ... yet) Today, I was looking around at the literary chaos and thought to myself, "Self .. you REALLY need a bookcase."

I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist and have strolled through Winners and the thrift shops in my neighborhood, but I haven't found anything that really catches my eye. Sure, I've found bookcases but they're either not the right color or they're too big and bulky or they're just downright ugly. I want something that looks great in our apartment and matches the rest of the decor. I want something practical, but not boring ... something stylish, but affordable. Something perfect. Turns out perfect is a hard thing to come by, so the search continues.

I'm starting to doubt that I'll ever find the ideal bookcase (at least, not one that falls within my budget) so I decided to google "book storage" for inspiration. And wowza - inspiration overload!

That's pretty much my dream living room right there .. pink sofa, lots of pillows, simple bookshelves on the wall. Love it.

I love the artsy look of books piled on the floor, but when it comes to my own personal space I think I'd prefer to have my books lined up on a proper shelf where I can see the titles clearly and not have to search through things to find the book I'm looking for. Plus, I'm so clumsy I'd probably trip over the books on a daily basis. I do, however, love the idea of having huge art prints in my reading/library area. Note to self: I must get on Etsy later tonight to find some good ones!

Love the idea of having just a few books piled neatly on a little cake stand like this, with a candle or small statue on top. I think this would look super stylish on a bedroom dresser or a coffee table. I might do this with a 2 or 3 of my books. Unfortunately, though, I still need to find storage for about 65 other books! :(

How do you store your books? Do you have them all on a bookcase, or have you found a creative way that works for you? Please share - I'm desperate!!

xo

Photo Credits ~ first photo unknown (sorry!), second and third photos from Apartment Therapy, last photo from The Chic Line (amazing blog, one of my faves!)

Paboom!

I am so in love with this store:

It's just a few blocks from my apartment and they have the greatest home decor items at such affordable prices. I bought super sweet pink lanterns for just $4 and today I bought a bright pink garbage can for my bedroom for just $6. I think this might be my absolute favorite shop in the whole city. *sigh* Who knows what I'll find next?!

-xoxo-

My Nana's Tea Cups ♥

Yesterday, I had dinner at my Nana's house and she gave me an early house-warming present: four of her vintage tea cups! The first one was a gift she received at her wedding in 1938! They are all absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful intricate designs and 14K gold around the rims .... so very lovely!

... This last one is my personal favorite!
I've admired this cup since I was a little girl:

Thank you *so so* much Nana! You are the absolute sweetest!
xox

Some Etsy Eye Candy

I know I haven't been very good at keeping up with my blog ... I've just been so busy lately, trying to get all my school work done. The end of semester is quickly approaching and I have lots of papers to write and assignments to complete before December 1st.

This morning I spent some time browsing around Etsy for the first time in months and I found *tons* of great things! The following items have officially made my Christmas list --

5 Strawberry Sundae Dishes, available here.

Hot Pink Blooming Blossom pillow, available here.

Bathroom sign decor, available here.

*happy sigh*
I just love shopping. :o)